This novel was so clever. It was crackling and sparking with original voice and unique style. I literally could not put it down. I had to force myself to turn off my Kindle so I could get a few hours of sleep before my morning alarm went off every night. This is a must read. A bestseller! I wish I could give it ten stars instead of only five.

The Hurricane Blonde died at her house, lounging by the pool. Her sister found her body. Now, her sister works for a Hollywood touring company for murdered celebrities--her sister's house is the last stop of the tour. She finds yet another dead blonde; this time in the pool. She can't help but see this murder's connection to her sister's. And to her sister's fiancee.

This was quite long, but not a but of it was slow or lacking. I was hooked from page one. The writing is superb. Excellent summer thriller that has a dark edge.

Solid 3.5 stars! .Gorgeous cover. The cover along with the plot immediately drew my interest. Salma is a former child star who is now giving tours for the Stars Six Feet Under tour bus. One of the stars included in the tour is her dead sister, Tawney’ was killed at the height of her young career and her murder remains unsolved. Salma is convinced she knows who is responsible. When Salma discovers a dead body at the site of her sister’s murder, she is determined to get justice for both women. Salma is a recovering addict. Her years of addiction and bad behavior cause the police, friends and family to doubt her. This is very much a novel about secrets and lies in Hollywood. Salma’s life went off the rails after her sister’s murder but that wasn’t the only reason. Living in a Hollywood family impacted her sense of self. Behind the scenes look at acting schools, auditions, and making a movie. The power dynamics between women and men in the industry are front and center. I enjoyed seeing the seedy underbelly of movie making. Many women are chewed up and spit out quickly by the machine. They don’t have the ability to say no when they want to be successful. We know the story of men taking advantage.It’s a story as old as Hollywood. At times Salma seems paranoid.. Her past interactions might just be impacting her judgment. The pacing was a little choppy. Started really strong, lagged in the middle third and picked back up. Definitely a book for readers who want an inside look at Hollywood.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In the time of Hollywood being flipped and shaken for all the trash men who have violated and abused women, this was an appropriate story to share. It makes me think about what other stories lie in the history of old Hollywood and what is covered up. If you're a fan of entertainment news, family secrets, and messy film directors, this is for you.

The story really grabbed me from the very beginning, I couldn’t wait to find out what was going to happen. I also loved the characters, they were so vivid it made me feel like I was really there. My only negative was that I felt like it was a bit overly dramatic in some spots, that the main character repeated herself in her head a lot and I could of gone without that. The ending could of also been a bit more dramatic and maybe have us a better sense of what happens to all the characters.
Otherwise I really enjoyed this entire book, and where the story took us. I am so happy to have read this and would highly recommend if you love inside scoops on celebrity lifestyles, what it’s like to be famous, murder, mystery, thrilling events, or characters that struggle with substance abuse.
Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this, this is my unbiased review that I have written for free.

Loved the dark and gritty Hollywood in this story. Salma is a multi layered character you will love. This book covers grief and sisters and dysfunctional families. Brilliant commentary on the toll of fame, and the plight of child actors. The mystery is engrossing and utterly satisfying. Love, love. Love. All the stars for this one. Thank you to Penguin Putnam and NetGalley for this brilliant ARC.

The Hurricane Blonde immediately pulls you into its dark, twisted Hollywood. Salma's perspective gives viewers a peek into a rarefied world of A-list celebrity and the almost inevitable downfall that comes with it. I loved meeting all of the characters, and seeing LA and the movie lot from Salma's view.

Overall, I thought the story was intriguing and well-written, but I wish Tawney's character would have been a little more developed. The reader mostly sees the persona she puts on, versus the sister whom Salma loved. Additionally, it didn't feel as much of a mystery as it did a series of reveals that happened to perfectly coincide with one another. There could have been a little more nuance and work to uncover these clues.

Hollywood is as dark as we’ve always imagined it, and The Hurricane Blonde is evidence of this.

This thriller was delicious. I hope that isn’t insensitive to say about the Hollywood actresses made famous by their murders. But it was. It itched my fascination with Old Hollywood, with true crime murders of up-and-coming starlets. It was beautifully written, with a steady, yet seemingly unreliable narrator. The characters were rich, multi-leveled, and deplorable. They were all true casts of Hollywood. Read this, you won’t regret it.

Loved, loved, loved this book! This book had me hooked right from the beginning. Not many books make me feel like I’m watching the story unfold from the sidelines. I could feel Salma’s pain every step of the way trying to uncover who really murderer her sister 20 years ago. Growing up in a famous family had never been kind to her and once her reputation was ruined by substance abuse trying to get anyone to listen or take her serious was damn near impossible. Salma was determined to find answers and even did the unthinkable by working close to the man she had despised ever since her sisters funeral.

Hollywood is a dark place with many secrets. Are those secrets best kept hidden or brought out to the light? Will those uncovered secrets really provide closer or just open up more secrets?

A must add to your future TBR!!
Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Pub Date: August 8, 2023

Do you like stories about dead Hollywood girls like The Black Dahlia, Dominique Dunne, and Dorothy Stratten? There’s something behind that velvety curtain where movie stars play behind the scenes and the rest of us itch to take a peek.

The Hurricane Blonde follows a former child star, Salma, who tries to heal and find closure after her sister’s, Tawney, unsolved murder years ago. Battling addiction and her mother’s unrelenting disdain for not living up to the family’s legacy, Salma finds herself thrust into the center of her sister’s murder scene once again when another actress, a Tawney look-alike, is found dead.

This book gives a glimpse into the uglier side of Hollywood and the lengths people go to for fame. Think Harvey Weinstein meets Evelyn Hugo. The story follows a much more Whodunit vibe with a little glam sprinkled in. Salma knows who killed her sister and has suspicions it’s the same person who killed her sister’s look-alike. However, no one seems to listen or care. The case is closed. But she is on a mission to find proof and get justice for the sister she lost too soon.

The author did a really great job at keeping the culprit a mystery. I had my guesses along the way, and it was fun like playing the game Clue. I absolutely recommend this book, especially if you’re into true-crime stories like First 48 Hours or Unsolved Mysteries.

I was really excited to receive this ARC after I had read about this book. At first I had only seen the title as the author, Halley Sutton, had blurbed another book and I thought, man, Hurricane Blonde is a book I want to read! And it's about L.A.? Great! I must say that so much of this book is about some horrific sexual violence, and that the ending was not at all satisfying. But the journey had some great and interesting stops. Thank you for the ARC.

Salma is fallen Hollywood royalty - the only surviving daughter of a famous couple. Her sister, well on her way to becoming a A level actress, nicknames the "Hurricane Blonde" was murdered in the 90's and the case was never closed. Salma has resigned to keeping out of the spotlight and running a tour that focuses on actresses that were killed simply due to their fame.

When she learns that her sister's ex-fiance is directing a movie about her sister's dead, Salma launches herself into action. She is sure that he is guilty of her death and needs to get on the scene to prove it. Salma is driven and still grieving and finds herself mixed up in a very dangerous game.

I really loved this novel and especially loved Salma - a real life person who did not overcome her real life issues. If you like critiques of Hollywood, have envision yourself a star, or just would like to immerse yourself in a Hollywood mystery, The Hurricane Blonde is for you! #Penguin #PutnamandSons

The darkness and secrets of Hollywood are the perfect backdrop for this captivating and creatively written mystery. I love everything about “The Hurricane Blonde” from the title, which immediately caught my attention, to the intriguing characters and shocking ending. It was hard for Salma Lowe to grow up in an entertainment family, even though she was a former child star with fans of her own. Her beautiful and vivacious sister
Tawney stole the limelight as did her parents, whose success in the entertainment industry was legendary. After spending time in rehab, Salma worked as a tour guide to the stars as she guided her bus filled with fans to the former homes of murdered young starlets.

I am fascinated by all aspects of Hollywood and I devoured this book in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. Salma was a dogged detective as she investigated the death of another young woman at her sister’s former residence. Salma was convinced the deaths were related and she was perplexed as to why this aspiring actress was even at her sister’s house in the first place. In her search for the truth, Salma approached her mother and her sister’s former fiancee, a terrible man she hated with a passion. They both gave her different versions of the past so they could protect their careers and keep the press at bay. I was afraid as to what Salma would find when all the secrets were revealed, and how she would react to what really happened. I sincerely hoped that she would not give up her pursuit of justice for her sister who died too young, and who Salma still missed down to her very soul.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

THE HURRICANE BLONDE is about Salma, a former child star—and daughter of Hollywood royalty—who runs a murder bus tour in LA and one day, during a routine tour, discovers the body of a young actress, whose death is eerily similar to that of Salma’s sister twenty years ago. This book is INCREDIBLE. It’s filled with dark and disturbing twists (my favorite kind!), and has so many highlight-worthy lines. It’s about how far people will go to protect powerful men, about the concessions we make for powerful men in the first place, about the question of whether we can—or should—separate great art from an artist who does terrible things. The writing is at turns sharply clever and achingly beautiful, with a poignant and memorable ending. I was also so fascinated by all the real-life stories of the dark underbelly of Hollywood that were referenced throughout the book, and these twisted anecdotes emphasized the powerful themes even more. And if that’s not enough, this book gives you two compelling mysteries for the price of one. I promise this thriller will hook you from the first page and will stay with you long after you finish.

This book was more suspenseful than I could have hoped for! The twists that happen in this story were not what I was expecting and I love that! When jaw dropping secrets are revealed I just couldn’t put this book down. I devoured it!!

This was so good. This exactly sounds like Hollywood and the lives of actors. I absolutely couldn't put it down I had to know what happened next. Such an amazing thriller!
I just reviewed The Hurricane Blonde by Halley Sutton. #TheHurricaneBlonde #NetGalley
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• BOOK REVIEW •

Huge thanks to #netgalley and #putnambooks for this eARC.

4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

"A former child starlet is plunged back into the dangerous glitter of Hollywood after discovering a young actress's body in this scorching thriller about the deadly sides of both fame and family."

I love a good Hollywood murder story! THIS is a GOOD Hollywood murder story! There was a lot of corruption and mystery packed in one book, and I wasn't disappointed.

The sleuth in me figured out whodunnit right away, but it still didn't peel me away from wanting to finish this thing in one sitting.

Pub date is August 8th, 2023.

Super good book that will suck you in from the beginning. I read it all in one day. Such a good thriller/mystery. It tells an intricate tale with well done main characters.

While utterly submerged in a crushing old Hollywood style patriarchal mindset and THE SHIT THEY GET AWAY WITH - TO THIS DAY, this still managed to be compulsively readable and even slightly endearing in a backward kind of way I can't explain. Here's to the girls who will be 23 forever. Here's to what they thought they wanted. Here's to cellulite on celluloid.

Salma Lowe is the daughter of Hollywood royalty. She might be more well known for her sister's tragic murder. Salma has fallen far from the Hollywood status of her parents and sister. She now gives bus tours about famous actresses who were murdered. On one such tour, she is at the final stop, her sister's house. She's explaining the horrible way she personally found her sister by the pool when a tourist shouts out that there's a body in the water. She doesn't hire an actress for that so she takes off running. She's able to get to the pool and pull the lifeless girl from the water. Is it a coincidence that this girl was playing Tawney, Salma's sister, in a movie directed by Tawney's ex fiancee? Things are too much of coincidence and Salma can't live without answers any longer.

A masterpiece!!! I honestly loved everything about this story! It felt similar to Taylor Jenkins Reid, but as a thriller! The characters are so well developed. The connections between the characters are easy to follow. The story blew me away. I love how it address many old Hollywood clichés and turns the spotlight on them. This book blew me away!!