Although this book started out slow, I kept reading and am glad I did. This is a wonderful series about the golden age of Hollywood. I enjoy the conversation between the stars and the two main characters. Edith Head and Lillian Frost have become friends and they have solved several murders. The goings on of the studios and the movie stars is so fun. I cannot wait for the next book in this very fun series.

https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/script-for-scandal-a-lillian-frost-and-edith-head-mystery/

This period mystery, set in Hollywood in the late 1930's, kept me guessing until the end. It's full of great period details, especially about the world of the studios.

It did take me a little while to get into it and even lonhger for the different strands of the story to come together. also, although enjoyable, I didn't entirely like write writing style, which seemed somewhat unpolished.

“Script for Scandal” is the third in the Golden Age of Hollywood historical mystery series written by Renee Patrick, and the authors (the writing team of Rosemarie and Vince Keenan) pull out all the stops in this one. You gotta love a book dedicated to Eddie Muller, the Turner Classic Movies noir king!

Lillian Frost is the social secretary to Addison Rice – a movie-mad fan with lots of money, who loves to throw big parties. Lillian always manages to find herself involved in Hollywood murder and mayhem, lucky for us readers. The crux of the plot is a 1936 bank robbery and how Lillian’s boyfriend, policeman Gene Morrow is tainted by it. The proceeds of the robbery are still missing. Did he plan it? Does he have the money? Of course, Lillian wants to “fix” this – he’s her man and she wants to help. All the while rubbing shoulders with a whole bunch of Hollywood elite at Paramount Studios, where her friend and follow connoisseur of mysteries works – the famous costume designer, Edith Head.

A movie script supposedly “tells all” – the scriptwriter is an ex-con. Coincidentally, the investigation into the robbery is being reopened. It’s not a good time for Gene. She needs to find out what the scriptwriter knows and how he knows it. To do this she needs to get in the gates at Paramount and meet with "people," and of course Edith can help with that. And Edith can help with ferreting out a lot more, as we know from previous books.

Pretty soon a shifty character is murdered – what did he know? Something to do with the bank robbery? 'Lillian has to find out, 'cause there's trouble all around and it's getting closer to Gene.

Oh, and did I say that Benjamin Siegel is part of the plot, too? And Virginia Hill? And talk of Nazi sympathizers, and the mob muscling in to movie extras’ unions? Karma will rear its pretty (ugly?) little head, too, especially for that "Bugsy" guy (you'll find out more about the nickname), enough for plenty of people and for plenty of years to come. You’ll see. It might be a little too much, when you think about it. So, don’t think about it. Just enjoy the show.

While all this is going on, we are treated to the Hollywood star stories that make up the vignettes we’ve come to know from these books. We’ll catch glimpses of Paulette Goddard, Fred MacMurray, George Raft, even Edward G. Robinson. But the best has to be the contretemps between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. I won’t tell you why they’re there – you’ll have to read that for yourself.

Finally, there’s another murder that pulls it all together. And Edith observes, and the wheels turn behind those large dark frames. As Miss Head tells everyone, “Sometimes you have to look at the story from a new angle.”

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

Feature Q&A with the author(s) for Zoomer magazine!
"The series combination of fashion, stardom and crime is catnip for classic cinema lovers so, naturally, the Keenans have appeared as guests on Turner Classic Movies (TCM). The couple recently spoke with Nathalie Atkinson from their home in Seattle, Wash...."

It's the first book I read in this series and I'm hooked.
I loved the mix of historical and fictional characters, the well researched background, and the solid mystery that kept me guessing.
The cast of characters is interesting and fleshed out, the plot well crafted and engrossing.
It was an excellent and entertaining read.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

In 1936, a bank robbery took place in Los Angeles. While the robbers were killed, the money was never found, and rumors have circulated that there was someone else involved. Most suspect that the someone else was LAPD Detective Gene Morrow, the boyfriend of Lillian Frost. While the rumors have mostly died down, they are about to come out again in 1939 thanks to a new movie being filmed at Paramount. Costume designer Edith Head has seen the script, and she gets a copy to her friend Lillian so she and Gene can be prepared. Lillian is more concerned than Gene and actively tries to find out who the writer is claiming is his source for this movie. She hasn’t been looking for too long before someone turns up dead. Can Lillian and Edith figure out what happened back then and how it is impacting what is happening today?

I was so happy when this series found a new home because I enjoyed the first two books so much. This book is just as strong. The authors mix real people with the fictional characters so expertly I am sure I missed some of the cameos. Yet everyone comes across as real. I did think the plot was wandering a bit early on, but everything became an important part of the story before it was over. Not that I was complaining since I was hooked for most of the book and couldn’t wait to see how it would all turn out. Both Edith and Lillian are instrumental to solving the crime in the end. Meanwhile, there is a delightful subplot involving Lillian’s boss preparing for a job as an extra that leads to a hilarious scene. This book brings old Hollywood to life in every detail, and I enjoyed every minute spent in that world. This book will delight Edith and Lillian’s fans and win them new ones.

Script for Scandal is the third book in the Lillian Frost & Edith Head mysteries by Renee Patrick. Released 7th Jan 2020 by Severn House, it's 240 pages and available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a well written and diverting period mystery in and around the Hollywood film industry of the late 1930s. Written around a skeleton of real historical figures and movies of the time, this is a fun read. One of the central plot elements, a bank robbery from 1936, is fictionalized, but many of the secondary characters who have cameos are actual celebrities and real figures from the time period.

These books are always full of well researched links and titles (movies and books) for further reading. The author is gifted with a knack for descriptive prose and the 'golden' age of Hollywood and the glittering productions come alive in the narrative. The plot is straightforward and moves slowly but surely to the satisfying denouement.

One of the high points of these books for me is the author's note at the back with extra historical tidbits and interesting trivia. They are always full of background info about the settings, movies, and characters and are always fun to read.

This is a fun read, lighthearted, clean, not gritty or very violent, and satisfying. Four stars.

I'm glad that mysteries set in the glamor days of Hollywood seem to be on the rise, and I'm particularly happy that there is a new Lillian Frost and Edith Head mystery by the writing team known as Renee Patrick. Script for Scandal is a rip-roaring banquet of a read that has a little something for everyone.

There's a real feel for Hollywood in the late 1930s, with one character working to infiltrate local Nazi groups-- which could be a very dangerous thing to do. Readers learn about the (mis)behavior of some of the movie stars of the day, and laughs are provided when Lillian's boss gets a part as an extra on a film and then begins to worry himself into a tizzy about it. This leads to "acting lessons" from both Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, and I could actually hear both actresses' voices in my head as I read.

There's a nice twisty mystery to solve in which Virginia Hill and Bugsy Siegel play parts, and if you like clothes, you're going to like Script for Scandal. Lillian and Edith play well against each other. Lillian is the more intuitive, emotional "detective" while Edith's eye for detail and her tendency toward observation means that she picks up on things that everyone else misses.

Readers never know which stars they're going to run into in one of these books, and this is part of the series' charm. I really enjoy how the authors portray real historical figures. If you like excellent period detail, strong mysteries, and two strong, independent female leads, chances are excellent that you will enjoy this series. Hollywood is just the icing on the cake. Give it a try!

Yes you can read this as a period mystery where Lillian tries to prove that her love interest Gene, a police officer, was not in on the bank robbery where his partner was shot to death. More fun, though, is to read it for the cameos of Old Hollywood. Who knew Edith Head liked to solve mysteries? Well she does here along with Lillian, who works as a social secretary. There are some red herrings in the robbery plot (always a good thing). This might be the third in the series but it was the first one I've read and it was fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Loved the parts set on the Paramount lot!

Los Angeles, 1939 Edith Head hands over a script of a new film, entiled Streetlight Story to her friend Lillian Frost. It tells the 'true' story of the California Republic bank robbery in 1936. A case Lillian's frend LAPD detective Gene Morrow and his partner Teddy Lomax were involved in. Which resulted in the dead of Lomax, and the $20,000 still missing, with the three robbers also dead. The script revealing that there was a mastermind behind the robbery who was a member of the police. But why has the D.A Burin Fitts decided to investigate Morrow. Can Lillian and Edith prove Gene's innocence.
An enjoyable and well-written historical mystery, with a likeable style of writing and cast of characters. Quite a slow paced story but which kept my interest.