Murder of a Movie Star - A Posie Parker Mystery, Book 5

Finally got around to reading the fifth book in the Posie Parker mystery series.  I have been thoroughly enjoying this series, written by L.B. Hathaway.  Set in the early to mid-1920s, it features a very strong female lead in a time when women were still trying to assert their independence in a world ruled by men and men's expectations.  Hathaway expertly portrays this prevailing belief at the time regarding women's place in the world, and I absolutely love how Parker breaks away from the mold of that time and not only asserts her independence, but also manages to earn the respect of the men around her while doing so.  This latest mystery is by far the longest to date, coming in right at 400 pages (398 if you want to be exact), but it is so engaging that I finished it pretty much in the same amount of time it took me to read her other books!

Murder of a Movie Star is the story of Silvia Hanro, a famous English movie star whose time is nearing its end - in more ways than one!  Hanro is nearly 30 years old, and her fear of being forced out of the limelight is first and foremost in her mind.  But also on her mind are the death threats she has been receiving.  At first, she laughed it off, but when she receives a final note with a severed finger, her film producer, Brian Langley, decides it is time to call in help; rather than the police, though, he calls Parker (in definitely the most dramatic way).  Parker is reluctant to become involved, but her best friend, Lady Dolly Cardigeon, who is totally enthralled with the film industry (she herself having been a make-up artist and costumier for the theater before she got married) and convinces Parker to take the case.  But Parker only has twenty-four hours to figure out who is behind the threats and stop him (or her), because the latest threat has made it clear Hanro will die the next day - which also happens to be the last day of filming for her latest film and the day of the wrap party.

And before I say anything else about the story, I must give kudos to whomever designed and/or provided art for the cover of this book.  The face of the woman on the cover is posed so that she is looking at the reader back over her shoulder - such that the right half of her face is in shadow, while the left half is in the light.  This face may seem trivial, but it holds OH SO MUCH importance to the story!  First, it pays homage to the comedy/drama theater masks - portraying the two extremes of emotions set forth in any theater production.  Second, it points out the duplicitous nature of the film industry, where nothing is as it seems - everything is fake and merely acted out such that the audience is drawn in and believes what is really happening on screen, when in reality, it is merely actors reciting lines in front of fake backdrops.  Third, it hints at the two-facedness of pretty much everyone involved in this mystery - from the actress receiving the threats, to the producer, and all of the other players in this game.  Everyone has a secret, everyone is telling only half-truths, and everyone - and I mean everyone! - is playing some sort of game.  Fourth, it unveils a carefully hidden secret about the first murder, one which Posie is the first to figure out.  Fifth, and finally, it provides a quite literal clue to the identity of the killer.

Now, that being said, let's go back to the mystery.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I could not figure this one out.  There were so many suspects, so many motives, and so many clues and red herrings, that I'm amazed Hathaway herself could keep track of them all!  But she did, and wove them all into a very intricately woven tale of lies, blackmail, love, hate, guilt, and ultimately, murder.  Silvia Hanro may at first seem to be a victim, but make no mistake - she's no one victim.  Is this all a huge scam as a way to draw attention to herself before her career fades away?  Brian Langley will do anything to complete this film and save his nearly bankrupt film studio - but will he result to murdering his own star just to gain publicity for the film?  Robbie Fontaine is the leading man and also the love of Silvia's life - or so it seems.  In reality, he and Silvia cannot stand each other, and he is tired of playing second fiddle to Silvia, who is the real star.  Would he kill to get back in the spotlight?  Pamela Hanro is Silvia's forgotten sister, the suffragist who has always been a blight on the family name - and she harbors a hatred for her sister for something that occurred some years back.  Is that secret and her hatred enough to spur her on to murder her own sibling?  Tom Moran is a man behind the scenes at the studio, and having suffered a grievous injury during the war, he's not the same man he was. But is he man enough for his true love, Silvia Hanro, or would he kill the woman he loves rather than be an object of her pity?  Then there's also Robbie Fontaine's real-life wife, Sheila, who seems to stay completely behind the scenes; the studio's cook, who seems to know everyone's secrets and isn't above a little blackmail; Silvia's dresser, Elaine, who appears completely obsessed with the movie stars and their glamorous life; and the man who has been stalking Silvia Hanro for some time, managing to disguise himself again and again to get past the studio's security and get close to the object of his obsession.  So many suspects, so many motives, so many opportunities - but only one of them is a killer, and if Posie Parker doesn't figure out which one it is before the wrap party, Silvia Hanro may end up dead!

Hathaway truly has written a masterpiece of murder mystery fiction with this book.  There are tons of plot twists, character surprises, and red herrings that will lead the reader (as well as Posie!) down a number of rabbit trails, before finally leading to an explosive climax that sees the return of a major player in this series.  It also, unfortunately, sees the exit of a lovable character that, quite frankly, I was very saddened to see.  This character, albeit a supporting cast member and not a major player, was one I had grown quite fond of and was hoping to see more of in future books - but, alas, that was clearly not meant to be.  And, while dealing with all this film industry madness, Posie also finds herself saddled with another mystery - what threat is there against Rufus Cardigeon, and why is he asking Posie to watch Dolly carefully and protect her at all costs?  When Posie finds out the truth of that one - well, let's just say the reader will see Posie's true nature come to light as she does exactly what she has to do in order to protect her friend - and before you think about it, know this: it will not be what you expect!

If I hadn't already been hooked with this series before, this book would definitely do it for me.  So many surprises, so many twists and turns, so many exciting moments, so many big reveals - I had a hard time putting this one own at night just to get some sleep.  Now I need to get on Amazon and order the next books in this series (I am SOOOO far behind - I think there are already 13 books out in this series) so I can find out what happens next in the life of Posie Parker (although I suspect there are several carefully placed hints in this story as to some of the adventures to come...)

RATING:  10 bright lemon-colored outfits from the House of Harlow out of 10 for such a superbly written mystery that truly had me guessing up until the very end!