The Beverly Malibu: A Kate Delafield Mystery

I really enjoyed this mystery. The plot was a challenge and the characters well developed. The political and social background information added to my limited knowledge of that era and made me want to find out more about those times in America. This would make a very good live performance production as well as a movie.

Owen Sinclair, a B-movie director is murdered in a hideous manner. This makes Kate Delafield think the murder was one of revenge. Through sleuthing, she finds that Sinclair was a "friendly witness" during the McCarthy witchhunt era. He spoke to HUAC (House un-American Activities Committee), which was the House arm of McCarthy's own Senate hearings. Hollywood was especially vulnerable at this time. Forrest skillfully weaves in information about that period through her characters but never allows it to overshadow the mystery. There are red herrings galore and Kate lets herself get emotionally involved with several of the people and there's even a romance in it for the lonely Kate who feels that she must protect the people she loves from the horrors of her job. She is also isolated because she is gay and must remain closeted to be able to do her job. The LAPD has a policy not unlike the military: Don't ask, don't tell. Every Delafield book reveals a new facet of Kate and this is no exception. If Forrest wrote mainstream detective mysteries rather than mysteries with a lesbian heroine, she would probably be as popular as P.D. James or Ellis Peters or Elizabeth Peters. It's unfortunate because all her mysteries are first-rate. As I said, the politics never get in the way of the story, although this book did introduce me to Scoundrel Time by Lillian Hellman, which I later bought.

This, along with Nightwood, is one of the best reads in the Delafield series. The murder plot and details are simple, as opposed to those in Apparition Alley or Liberty Square, and the story of the new relationship is unforgettable.

Makes a change to be able to get books on the subject out here.