Dangerous to Know: A Lillian Frost and Edith Head Novel

Set in December 1938, Patrick’s sassy second series novel (after 2016’s Design for Dying) takes the reader on an exhilarating ride through Hollywood in its heyday. Trouble may be brewing in Europe, but in Hollywood it seems to be business as usual. The biggest question in most people’s minds is: who will David O. Selznick choose to star in Gone with the Wind? Lillian Frost, social secretary to one of the most prominent men in Los Angeles, is a friend of Paramount’s premier costume designer, Edith Head. When Edith asks her to do a little favor for Marlene Dietrich, how can she refuse? Her brief is simple: find pianist Jens Lohse. The more she noses around, the more dangerous her life becomes. Real-life celebrities such as Billy Wilder, Dorothy Parker, Errol Flynn, Jack Benny, and George Burns populate this meticulously researched book, in which the most outlandish incidents are verifiably true. Lovers of old movies, fabulous gowns, and historical gossip will be enchanted. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Apr.)