I had some trepidation going into this book. Writing even fictionalized versions of Edna Ferber and Noel Coward takes some serious chutzpah. They were known for being sharply intelligently witty. Ferber was a long-time member of the Algonquin Round Table... I needn't have worried. The dialogue is very well written and stylish. The plotting is engaging and well paced. If some of the plot twists are telegraphed, it doesn't detract from the beautiful writing and meticulous period research. The descriptions (and there are many) of depression era heartbreak and weariness are starkly written and compelling.
To me, the actual mystery was secondary to the writing and descriptions. I read this one as a standalone and was impressed enough to go back and hunt down the earlier books in the series. I really hope he continues with Edna and Noël, this was a very good book. There are a bunch of books with real historical people fictionalized into amateur sleuths (including royals, criminals and other literary figures), and this is a very good one.
Five stars
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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