Despite the fact that this is the seventh volume in the Emily Cabot series, I had no trouble following along, or figuring out the characters' relationships. Emily Cabot herself is an interesting character: a forceful, opinionated, intelligent, and very well educated woman in a time when women had few rights (not even the right to vote). It is also a time of intense social and technological change, and Emily often finds herself at odds with "the new thing." And so it is with the rising popularity of movies, which Emily considers vulgar and pedestrian.

The mystery itself was engaging. The story bogged down a bit in the middle, and I suspected the murderer long before the end (though I didn't have the motivation figured out), but it picked up again about three-quarters of the way through. It was also fascinating to learn about the early film industry.

Recommended to fans of historical cozy mysteries, and fans of the silent film era. [Review based on a netgalley copy.]