DESCRIPTION:
Lights, camera, action and… murder?
1934. Opal Laplume’s star is on the rise when she gets a job making costumes for Hollywood’s biggest talkie star, Jane Margeaux. But when Jane is fatally shot on set by a prop gun, and security guard Augusto finds a bullet missing from his pistol, it falls to Opal to save her favourite new friend from a wrongful murder accusation.
Opal soon discovers that Jane had a list of enemies as long as the train on her designer gown. Jane’s co-star Betty envied her rise to fame, but did her jealousy take a deadly turn? Jane’s loyal assistant Virginia was overworked and underpaid. Did she get Jane out of the way to get ahead at the studio? Or did Jane’s fortune-hunting husband Carey see an opportunity to inherit his wife’s jaw-dropping Sunset Boulevard mansion?
Just when Opal thinks she’s found her prime suspect, a crew member is found dead in the California desert with a briefcase stuffed full of movie scripts. And a close look at the director’s cut of Jane’s latest picture reveals a secret message hidden in plain sight. Soon, Opal will find that Jane was hiding the biggest secret in Hollywood – one truly worth killing for.
Can Opal keep her English cool among the Tinseltown drama and crack the case before it’s a wrap for the entire crew?
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Title: Murder in Hollywood
Author: Millicent Binks
Series: An Opal Laplume Mystery Book 2
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 271
Date of Publication: August 18, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars
MY THOUGHTS:
In this delightful second installment of the Opal Laplume cozy mystery series, a prop takes on a chilling reality. Actress Jane Margot has met a tragic end, and the film set where Opal finds herself is bathed in a dramatic aura. However, this is no mere act; the murder on stage is no joke. How could a real bullet have been concealed within a prop gun?
In 1934 Hollywood, Opal, a talented hat designer, finds herself on the set of a film. Her exceptional work has landed her not only the job of designing hats for the movie but also costumes. However, Opal’s ambitions extend far beyond her design duties. She becomes determined to uncover the truth behind the murder of Jane, driven by a fierce desire to find the motive and identify the likely suspects. Opal’s cunning and determined nature will undoubtedly make her a formidable force, as her curiosity and passion surpass her responsibilities as a designer.
This book is a quick read with a captivating setting. It vividly portrays the glamorous era of Hollywood, and I thoroughly enjoyed Opal’s determination to uncover the truth despite societal norms. As the story progresses, real icons from that time in 1930s Hollywood are mentioned. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and eagerly anticipate the next installment in the series.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
She has a BA (Hons) at Wimbledon College of Art in Costume Interpretation. Her writing credits include a column in the The London Evening Standard about her life as a burlesque starlet. She wrote the cover story “Alter Shego's” for The Sunday Times Magazine, in which she disguised herself as different women, took self-portraits, went out, introduced herself to random gentlemen and documented their reactions. This was optioned for TV by NBCUniversal.
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