The Sharpest Needle by Renee Patrick

 

First Line: While the specter of war casts its shadow over Europe, Hollywood keeps it sunny.

 

In August of 1939, Marion Davies should be focused on her upcoming lavish Saints & Sinners party, but she isn't. She's been the recipient of a series of poison pen letters which highlight an embarrassing event from her past. Reluctant to risk her long-term affair with William Randolph Hearst, Davies begs the discreet help of Lillian Frost and her friend, costume designer Edith Head, to uncover the identity of "Argus" before he can expose her.

Is this a prank, or is there something more sinister going on? It takes Lillian valuable time to get up to speed since Davies won't divulge the "embarrassing event." Once she starts putting the pieces together (with the aid of brilliant observations from the busy Head), Lillian finds herself in increasingly dangerous territory. It's a good thing she can think on her feet... and that she's a better actress than she was when she first came to Hollywood.

~

With occasional snippets from gossip columns, visits to "houses of beauty" catering to the elite, and descriptions of 1930s clothing, the writing team known as Renee Patrick (Rosemarie and Vince Keenan) plant readers so firmly into the soil of Hollywood that they can't help but try to catch glimpses of Clark Gable and Errol Flynn. The Keenans have a deep knowledge of Hollywood (you may have seen them on Turner Classic Movies), so even though you may have a phobia of writers using historical personages as characters, you might change your mind after reading The Sharpest Needle. I've enjoyed this series from the first book-- Design for Dying-- and I like the way the Keenans handle their historical characters: fun, light, and sticking as closely to the facts as possible.

 

As the personal assistant to a millionaire, Lillian Frost has the ability to take time off to investigate as long as she stays up-to-date with her work. Edith Head, as the head of Paramount Picture's insanely busy costume department, is mainly Lillian's friend and advisor who has a fierce intelligence, an eye for detail, and a wealth of contacts. Through Head, readers get to see what she had to put up with in order to become the best costume designer Hollywood has ever seen.

 

Through millionaire Addison Rice's contacts, Lillian Frost can be invited almost anywhere, and in this fourth book, she gets to wander Hearst Castle. As we see the grounds and learn of William Randolph Hearst's collecting habits, I was reminded of a scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. I was longing for a time machine so I could be transported back. Just turn me loose and let me explore, pretty please!

 

As good as the characters and the setting are, the mystery is every bit as good. There are many paths to follow before readers finally begin to learn what's really going on. If you enjoy multi-layered historical mysteries with strong characters and a fantastic sense of place, you can't go wrong with Renee Patrick's Lillian Frost & Edith Head series. You can jump right in with The Sharpest Needle, but don't be surprised if you find yourself looking for the other three. They're quite addictive! 

The Sharpest Needle by Renee Patrick

eISBN: 9781448304745

Severn House Publishers © 2021

eBook, 240 pages

Historical Mystery, #4 Lillian Frost & Edith Head mystery

Rating: A

Source: Net Galley

Script for Scandal by Renee Patrick

First Line: I had narrowed my options down to the corned beef hash or the turkey sandwich.

Lillian Frost is astounded when her friend, costume designer Edith Head, hands her a script for a movie called Streetlight Story. Based on an actual bank robbery, the script says the mastermind of the robbery is none other than Lillian's boyfriend, LAPD detective Gene Morrow.

Now Gene is at the center of a scandal that mixes fact and fiction. Streetlight Story is becoming the hottest ticket in town, there's an unexplained death on the Paramount Studio lot, and the police have reopened the case that inspired this new script. Since Gene doesn't seem to be doing anything to clear his name, Lillian refuses to rest until she has answers. With Edith's help, will Lillian be able to uncover the truth?

I'm glad that mysteries set in the glamor days of Hollywood seem to be on the rise, and I'm particularly happy that there is a new Lillian Frost and Edith Head mystery by the writing team known as Renee Patrick. Script for Scandal is a rip-roaring banquet of a read that has a little something for everyone.

There's a real feel for Hollywood in the late 1930s, with one character working to infiltrate local Nazi groups-- which could be a very dangerous thing to do. Readers learn about the (mis)behavior of some of the movie stars of the day, and laughs are provided when Lillian's boss gets a part as an extra on a film and then begins to worry himself into a tizzy about it. This leads to "acting lessons" from both Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and I could actually hear both actresses' voices in my head as I read.

There's a nice twisty mystery to solve in which Virginia Hill and Bugsy Siegel play parts, and if you like clothes, you're going to like Script for Scandal. Lillian and Edith play well against each other. Lillian is the more intuitive, emotional "detective" while Edith's eye for detail and her tendency toward observation means that she picks up on things that everyone else misses.

Readers never know which stars they're going to run into in one of these books, and this is part of the series' charm. I really enjoy how the authors portray real historical figures. If you like excellent period detail, strong mysteries, and two strong, independent female leads, chances are excellent that you will enjoy this series. Hollywood is just the icing on the cake. Give it a try!
 

Script for Scandal by Renee Patrick

eISBN: 9781448303496

Severn House Publishers © 2019

eBook, 240 pages

Historical Mystery, #3 Lillian Frost & Edith Head mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Net Galley 

Dangerous to Know by Renee Patrick

First Line: "The food was too rich, for one thing."

No longer a department store sales clerk, former aspiring actress Lillian Frost is adjusting to life as the social secretary to movie-mad millionaire Addison Rice. Costume designer Edith Head is running Paramount Pictures' wardrobe department, but only until those in charge find someone they think is better. When an international scandal hits the newspapers, the two friends find themselves working together once more.

Lillian attended the Manhattan dinner party in which a maid with Nazi sympathies divulged secrets that have all of New York society running for cover and two Paramount stars (Jack Benny and George Burns) facing smuggling charges. If that wasn't enough, Marlene Dietrich's pianist in her budding nightclub act has disappeared. Lillian reluctantly agrees to look for him. When Lillian finds him dead, Dietrich blames Nazi agents, and it's up to Lillian and Edith to uncover the truth.

Reading Renee Patrick's Lillian Frost and Edith Head mysteries is like walking into Old Hollywood; you never know who's going to have a cameo role. So much of the plot is based on actual events-- like Jack Benny and George Burns facing smuggling charges-- that readers get a real sense of life in the movie industry before the U.S. enters World War II. 

For some reason, I'm having a difficult time warming to Lillian Frost, and I don't know why. I can certainly sympathize with what Edith Head had to endure-- being considered the cheapest alternative while the studio brought in a continuous round of prospective replacements. Edith is a good foil to Lillian and does provide the younger woman with sound advice. Frost's new job as social secretary helps give her the entrée into Hollywood society that she needs in order to conduct her investigations.

The writing team of Renee Patrick is adept at creating absorbing, complex mysteries that keep the pages turning. Anyone with even a minuscule interest in old Hollywood movies and stars should enjoy their Frost and Head mysteries. In fact, the books are so good that readers unfamiliar with the territory may find themselves becoming fans, too.
 

Dangerous to Know by Renee Patrick

ISBN: 9780765381866

Forge Books © 2017

Hardcover, 336 pages

Historical Mystery, #2 Lillian Frost & Edith Head mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased at The Poisoned Pen.


 

Design for Dying by Renee Patrick

First Line: The hem of the dress was drenched in blood.

Lillian Frost came to Los Angeles in 1937 with dreams of becoming a star. Reality turned her into a department store sales clerk, and bad luck made her a suspect in the murder of a former roommate. Beautiful Ruby Carroll wanted it all. Instead she became a corpse wearing a gown from the Paramount Pictures wardrobe department. 

In trying to clear her name, Lillian meets Edith Head-- a woman who's yet to win any of her eight Academy Awards. Word on the lot has it that Edith's job is hanging on by a thread, so scandal over missing clothing is the last thing she needs. 

Lillian and Edith join forces and find themselves facing a hotshot director, a Hungarian princess, and a shady private detective. All they've got going for them is sheer determination and some help from people like Bob Hope and Barbara Stanwyck.

I tend to like reading books set during the Golden Age of Hollywood and I've always admired Edith Head's talent, so I looked forward to reading Design for Dying. For the most part, I was not disappointed (even though the attitude of some of the police officers toward women felt more like 2016 than 1937). The book suffered a bit from "too much middle" when the pace began to drag, and a few of the plot devices were easily guessed. (No, I'm not going to say what they were.) 

But there were still surprises, and the book came to life with Lillian Frost's point of view and wit, Edith Head's talent, and the spotlight that shined on the inner workings of a movie studio in general and the wardrobe department in particular. Cameos by such luminaries as Preston Sturgis, Bob Hope, and Barbara Stanwyck added depth and humor to the story.

Lillian and Edith make a strong team, and I'm looking forward to their next adventure. Design for Dying is a light, fun read for anyone who isn't a stickler for all the details to be letter perfect in their historical mysteries.      

Design for Dying by Renee Patrick

ISBN: 9780765381842

Forge Books © 2016

Hardcover, 320 pages

Historical Mystery, #1 Lillian Frost and Edith Head mystery

Rating: B+

Source: Amazon Vine