Idle Gossip is the 5th historical Hollywood mystery featuring amateur sleuths Lillian Frost & Edith Head by Renee Patrick. Released 3rd May 2022 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
These are exceptionally well written historical mysteries which are engaging and entertaining. The gossip and intrigue between actors/actresses/studios/and luminaries of the golden age of "talkies" fairly leap off the page. The author has an excellent grasp of plotting and storytelling and the action flows smoothly. I didn't find my interest wandering and I wasn't yanked out of the story once by clunky or incomplete dialogue. The fictional story is woven so skillfully around a framework of actual historical events and people, that it's not always clear where truth shades into fiction.
Despite not being fast friends with gossip columnist Lorna, Edith & Lillian are prevailed upon to look into a murder which Lorna's assistant Sam is suspected of. Everyone has dirty secrets they don't want to see the light of day, and it's Edith & Lillian's job to figure out what they're hiding, whether it's relevant, and who's actually responsible for the murder.
The mystery is self contained in this volume and it works very well as a standalone. The entire series is excellent, however, and highly recommended. With 5 books extant in the series, it would make an good choice for a binge/buddy read.
Four and a half stars. Well worth a read.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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