Scandal in Babylon
-
- $14.99
Publisher Description
When a death on a movie set appears oddly staged, young widow and assistant to the stars Emma Blackstone turns amateur sleuth in this glamorous historical mystery set in 1920s Hollywood.
“This splendid romp is sure to win Hambly new fans”Publishers Weekly Starred Review
LA, 1924. Emma Blackstone finds herself at the glittering heart of Hollywood’s hedonistic silent film industry working as an assistant to her glamorous movie star sister-in-law, Kitty Flint.
When Rex Festraw—Kitty’s first husband—turns up dead in her dressing room with a threatening letter from Kitty in his pocket, Emma is certain her flighty, kind-hearted sister-in-law has been framed.
But by who? And why? From spiteful rivals to jealous ex-boyfriends, the suspects are endless.
As Emma investigates, she begins to untangle a deadly plot—and there’s something Kitty’s not telling her . . .
The gripping Silver Screen historical mysteries series from New York Times bestselling author Barbara Hambly brings the sights and sounds of golden-age Hollywood to life. Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Carola Dunn.
---
Read the full Silver Screen historical mystery series:
Scandal in Babylon
One Extra Corpse
Saving Susy Sweetchild
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1924 Hollywood, this excellent series launch from Hambly (the Benjamin January series) introduces Emma Blackstone, a proper young English widow who's thrust into a world of decadent movie moguls, PIs, bootleggers, and their varied hangers-on. Emma's heart lies in classical archaeology, but after the death of her American soldier husband in the Great War, she faced a dreary penniless future in England as a paid companion. Emma's rescued by her sister, Kitty Flint, a sultry Hollywood sex goddess, who hires her to keep the gossip columnists at bay. When Kitty's unsavory first husband is found shot to death in her dressing room, Kitty becomes the prime suspect. Emma, though sorely tempted to take up her aunt's offer of a home in Oxford, turns ladylike private eye to prove Kitty's innocence. The lurid Hollywood backdrop, as reflected particularly in Kitty's steamy roles in the movie Temptress of Babylon and the upcoming Hot Potato, contrasts nicely with Emma's elegiac longing for her vanished world. This splendid romp is sure to win Hambly new fans.
