Review Detail

MURDER AMONG THE STARS by Laura L. Sullivan and Adam Shankman is the second in the Lulu Kelly Mystery Series. This time around Lulu has found herself in the home of WR Hearst, a famous media mogul, to compete for the role of a lifetime. When one of the guests is found dead and a suspect is apprehended too conveniently, Lulu believes it to be foul play and launches her own secret investigation. Maintaining her safety and that of those around her is her top priority, but working within a cutthroat industry means there are many people with plausible motives. Lulu must be smart if she wants to survive.

I have not read the first book in this series and I still was able to understand and enjoy MURDER AMONG THE STARS. The authors repeat the relevant information from the first novel, so I never felt confused. With that being said, it did take me a few pages to get into the world. Many characters are introduced right away, but contrarily, the time period of the story is not mentioned until later. As a result, I had to pick up on dialogue clues to sense that this wasn’t present day. Had I known the main characters and the date, I would have been able to jump in quicker. Yet, once I developed a clear picture in my head, the pace began to pick up.

Choosing to set a story during Hollywood’s Golden Age is tricky, mainly because the attitudes and prejudices towards women and minorities were even more pronounced and extreme, particularly in Tinseltown. Sullivan and Shankman do a great job here at being true to the era without sugarcoating reality, but instead countering it with a protagonist who does not share the limiting beliefs of her peers. Consequently, Lulu, the main character, has a very contemporary appeal.

Overall, the book is fluffy, entertaining fun with a good twist at the end that I found pleasantly surprising. Those who are fans of the Amazon Series, THE LAST TYCOON, will enjoy MURDER AMONG THE STARS.