Star Struck Dead

Hot & spicy, tangy, with just enough sweetness. I just re-read this one and can't believe the sequel didn't make it to print. What happened?? I've read quite a bit of neo-noir recently and most of it is sad, dirty, and depressing (however well written). This one has enough wit and romance to keep it fun, while delivering a dark and suspenseful storyline. The heroine is a real standout: smart, resourceful, and self-aware. The hero is just mysterious enough to keep us guessing about his true motivations, and the supporting cast ranges from Hollywood cast-offs to the top of high society. I hope a new publisher decides to take a chance on a reprint edition, and follow up with the sequel (a chapter of which appears at the end of this paperback original). Some new cover art would be a good idea, too. Definitely a keeper!

The theme is blackmail in 1940s Hollywood, where appearances are everything and no one cares what you're doing as long as it doesn't become public knowledge. The heroine is a strong-minded, intelligent woman who suddenly finds herself the victim of ruthless blackmailers. What they don't count on is that this is a woman who refuses to be a victim and will fight back just as ruthlessly. York has written a wonderfully literate mystery, rich in setting and characterization. The characters are vivid and very believable, and the atmosphere created makes you feel like you've gone back in time and space to Hollywood in the late 1940s. Be prepared -- once you start reading, you won't want to put it down!

I believe that "Star Struck Dead" is Sheila York's first novel. It is a terrific one! Think of a mystery that takes you back in time to Hollywood's golden era of the 1940's... The year is 1946, the place is "TinselTown," and Lauren Atwill has had enough. Separated from gorgeous matinee idol, Franklin Atwill, Lauren knows that she is no longer willing to endure his countless infidelities. Waking up, bruised and scraped from the ill-effects of the night before, Lauren discovers herself in a hospital room. She is baffled as to why anyone would have abducted her on her way home. Her jewelry and money have been taken, but she has not been harmed physically - only drugged. When she receives compromising photos of herself, she learns that she is just one of the many victims of a blackmailing gang.In a town where careers are broken like hearts, Lauren hooks up with streets smart, private eye - Peter Winslow to discover who is behind these incriminating setups.The plot is complex, but so refreshingly solid that few readers will see this ending coming! Now, imagine a writer that can style her writing to that sort of "Raymond Chandlerish" use of deadpan humor. ["A few women in very short skirts and very high heels were walking in pairs up and down the pavement...They were probably just waiting for their husbands."]Wow! Sheila York is great at this.Her descriptive use of truly unique metaphors(?) only adds to her brand of writing. Some phrases were so good that they just amazed me. "Except for the soft brushing of the wind in the eucalyptus, it was quiet."I have a feeling that Laura Atwill is going to be one of my favorite characters. I hope that York is hard at work!

This book made me want to go back and read mysteries from the era that this story was set in -- the period just after World War II has ended. The setting is Hollywood, and McCarthyism is just starting to rear its ugly head. The "heroine/detective" is Lauren Atwell, a screenwriter who is independently wealthy and separated from her famous actor husband. It is a time when a separated woman can go to parties with someone other than her husband but wouldn't dare be caught in the act of adultery -- she'd lose everything financially and socially. The theme of the mystery is blackmail in Hollywood, where appearances are everything and no-one cares what you're doing as long as it doesn't become public knowledge. The blackmailers first attempt to blackmail Lauren, and although she is not susceptible, from that she begins to suspect that some of the Hollywood crowd she knows are also being blackmailed. There are a series of murders somehow related to the blackmail. Lauren gets involved in trying to sort this mess out before someone she cares about gets falsely accused of murder. What's not to like? Well,frankly, the plot was so complicated that after a while, I was having a very hard time keeping it all straight -- trying to remember who someone was, or what had been said fifty pages ago that was being referred to. You'd need to take notes, I found myself thinking, to sort it all out.What's to like? Although complicated, the plot is impeccable; the characters for the most part not only vivid and interesting, but likeable; and the atmosphere created makes you feel like you've gone back in time and space to Hollywood in the late 40s. The quality of writing is excellent -- it's a very literate book. This is the kind of mystery that creates a mood and that you can hardly wait to get back to. I look forward to reading the next in the series. I expect this book to pick up some awards, like an Edgar.

World War II is over, the men are home and life returns to normal or what passes for normalcy in Hollywood. Screenwriter Lauren Atwell is driving home when she stops to see if she can help a person in a car that seem to have some trouble. She looks in the vehicle, but the next thing she knows she awakens in the hospital. The doctor and the police tell her that she was found in an alley.Lauren knows she was drugged not drunk as the police believe but she has no proof so she lets the matter drop. A few days after the incident a man comes to her with pictures of her and an unknown man in lewd positions. The blackmailer wants money, which Lauren is not prepared to fork over until she finds out her married friend is also being blackmailed as is her estranged husband's girlfriend. Determined to put an end to the blackmailing, Lauren hires PI Peter Winslow to find out who is running the ring. Every time they think they get close, a dead body turns up. They realize that someone is not hesitant about murdering anyone who gets in the way.The heroine of STAR STRUCK DEAD is a spunky independent woman who doesn't need a man to define her identity, an oddity in the late 1940's. Actual stars that lived in that era make cameo appearances adding authenticity to the setting. The plot is fast-paced with plenty of action and a lot of sizzle between the heroine and the private invesigator. Sheila York has started a good amateur sleuth series and this reviewer will be interested to see the protagonist in future novels.Harriet Klausner