Death upon a Star

Meade (the Tish Tarragon mysteries) delivers a charming, well-plotted series launch set in 1939 Hollywood. Evelyn Galloway, freshly arrived in Los Angeles from New York, is eager to start her new job as script supervisor for Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca. During her first day on set, she meets silent film star John Margrave. Now 46, Margrave has settled comfortably into secondary roles and won the universal respect of his peers—making his murder a considerable shock to Hollywood’s elite. Evelyn witnesses someone leaving Margrave’s bungalow on the night he’s killed and goes to the LAPD with the information. But with reporters parroting studio-approved versions of the truth, and LAPD detectives content to follow suit, Evelyn has no choice but to take things into her own hands. She proves a quick study, drawing on her East Coast grit to see her through treacherous conversations with Tinseltown’s power brokers. Meade weaves delightful on-set scenes between Evelyn and Hitchcock into the brisk action, and each red herring feels entirely plausible until it’s neatly discredited. Evelyn is off to a strong start. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (Feb.)