This book by Sarah James was delightfully entertaining. Set in Hollywood - nothing was overly believable which added to the charm. Loved that the main character was a mystery writer and trying to solve a mystery. While it was a lighter read, my main criticism was the amount of references to extreme alcohol and drug use! I didn't think I was a "prude" about this but in today's era of opioid addiction and substance abuse the numerous mentions really stuck out to me - to the point where I thought it might need a "trigger warning" for readers and I am NOT a fan of trigger warnings generally. That aside - the book was a great read and I'd definitely look for the next offering from Sarah James.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy, all opinions are my own.

When I say I LOVED this book........

I honestly picked this one up at random when I was travelling, and I had no idea what I was even getting into on the plot. Tossed right into the 1940's Hollywood scene, where the movie studios host entertainment nights for servicemen, and hosted by a motely crew of movie stars, writers and directors who spend their nights alternating between being the talent and drowning away their own demons. Culminating with a very dead body on the premise and a limited suspect list - this was the perfect, vibrant, glamorous, darkly humorous combination that had me actually obsessed from start to finish. While I had planned to maybe read a couple of chapters, I instead devoured the whole book in one sitting. I just couldn't set it down.

It has a very old-school Agatha Christie style, locked door mystery vibe on the whodunnit of the killer in their midst, while splashing in the perfect amount of character drama, light hearted fun between this unlikely group of "friends", and the snazzy razz of them trying to create movies at the time, for a less than stellar studio, and while navigating the ever stringent societal norms. The characters are dynamic, messy, dramatic, and flamboyantly fun, the mystery has the perfect amount of twists and turns, and in the end, it is one of the most satisfyingly delicious conclusions to a book that I've read all year.

Truly, this one shouldn't be missed. If historical mysteries were a thing, this one would take the cake.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen is different from other historical fiction of the era, which I always enjoy. Instead of a story surrounding a person or persons, James' novel explores a place in history. The plot is fair and the story is well told, but I did not learn about the Hollywood Canteen until I read the notes.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this title by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Loved getting lost in the world of Hollywood glamour 1940s and the connections to real celebrities. Solving the murder was a great ride!

Sarah James transports you to New York 1943, where we meet Annie Laurence, playwright. Annie is in a complicated relationship of seven years. When a newspaper critic who reviews movies and plays, Fiona Farris, reviews Annie’s latest work. The review of the play wasn’t bad but one of Fiona’s comments hits a little close to home nearly outing Annie’s home situation. When a movie offer comes in for the Cook’s, Annie’s partners, they take it and move to Hollywood leaving Annie hurt and cast adrift in New York. Annie has trouble finding a way forward.

Four months later, Annie receives an offer from Paradise Pictures to become a Hollywood screenwriter. Annie jumps at the offer and possibility of reconnecting with the Cook’s. Part of her new contract is volunteering at the Hollywood Canteen with other movie studio stars and employees. The volunteers entertain and serve the GIs getting ready to ship out during WWII. At the Canteen, Annie runs into Fiona Farris and her group of friends, the Adventure’s Club. Annie realizes they are kindred souls and quickly forgives Fiona’s review of her play.

When Fiona is murdered a short time later, Annie wants the find the murderer because she knows that she is a likely suspect. Can the mystery writing playwrite solve a real murder?

A historical novel that lifts the curtain on the seedy side of WWII era Hollywood with a fantastic cast of unruly characters. I would love to have an old-fashioned with the Adventurer’s Club sometime.

Fun book about an unusual threesome who take on Hollywood. I felt the author captured the atmosphere beautifully

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this historical murder mystery but I ended up really enjoying it! Historical murder mystery isn’t a genre I’ve read much of, but now I want to read more! The mystery kept me guessing and o felt entertained the whole time. My only complaint was the characters became a little hard to keep up with. Overall I definitely recommend this book as a fun take on the typical mystery and you’ll probably even learn something along the way!

I wanted to read this book because I am fascinated with Old Hollywood. The viewpoint from the workings of a B list studio was quite interesting. None of the characters were particularly likeable but that emphasized one of the points of the storyline. Seeing the secrets that people keep and how far they are willing to go to remain in the business was incredible. This kept my attention all the way through and there were enough twists and turns to hold surprises. It was a great choice to spend a weekend reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishers for this Advanced Readers Copy of Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James!

New York City playwright Annie Laurence is shattered when her seven year relationship abruptly comes to an end. In an attempt to pick up the pieces, Annie accepts a job as a writer with Paramount pictures and moves across the country to Hollywood. She thinks she has landed on her feet when she becomes friends with the Ambassador’s Club but then one of her new friends is murdered and Annie becomes the prime suspect.

The premise of the story sounded really interesting to me and once the story got moving it was. The beginning of the novel was a bit slow for me and parts of the plot dragged on. While I enjoyed the antics of Annie and the Ambassador’s club, I never quite connected with the characters. There was just something missing for me. What I loved about this novel was the setting and the old Hollywood glamor set against the backdrop of WWII. I love when authors incorporate real life characters and places so I enjoyed the story of the Hollywood Canteen and the characters like Bette Davis who popped up throughout the novel. If you love the glitz and glam of Old Hollywood, give Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen a try!

<i>When you write a play that makes the audience gasp at the ending, you feel like a god</i>

Who wouldn't love the chance to peel back the curtains, and uncover secrets in 1940s Hollywood? An era when movie studios had complete access and control of the stars' lives, and larger than life personas reigned supreme. In Last Night at Hollywood Canteen, we follow our protagonist Annie's inadvertent involvement in the murder investigation of famous movie critic.

Things I loved:
- The Ambassador’s Club! I was morbidly fascinated by the acerbic wit and the dark humour of the tinseltown longtimers. As the repartee descended into bitter venom time and time again, I often wondered how these "friends" could stand each for twenty long years!

- The frenzy and the glamour of old Hollywood: The sense of 'The show must go on' . The feverish sense of creation, of lavish productions halted due to writers' block. The industry's "crass self-promotion" in a time when hordes of the nation's youth were shipped to the the Pacific.

- The drop dead (LOL) gorgeous cover - I mean, look at that!

What was questionable:

- The laggy middle: At the heart of it, this is a murder mystery driven by its character cast. Even though each character in the gang had a 'signature', I felt it was surface level at the most. The pace and the strength of the writing took off near the end, but for most of the time, there was a little too much backstabby bantering and characterizations melding into each other.

- Annie's lack of self preservation: I clearly didn't get why she decided to get involved so involved in an investigation of someone she knew for two seconds, and go around being all pally with a bunch of suspects. Or why did the exclusive Ambassador's Club figuratively let her in, spilling all their long buried secrets.


Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced reader copy.

This Historical Fiction Thriller is filled with all the glitz and glamour as well as secrets and scandals that made up Hollywood in the 1940s. It is a fast paced thriller with interesting and tormented characters. It is filled with barbed, snaky, and witty banter that I love. I was intrigued by the insight into the Hollywood Machine and morality clauses (think Evelyn Hugo). The characters are well developed with secrets of their own that keep you guessing until the very end. Overall, I feel that fans of historical fiction and thrillers with love this book

Sarah James takes readers on a captivating journey into the glamour and intrigue of 1940s Hollywood. In a city where stars shine both on and off the screen, the Hollywood Canteen becomes the backdrop for a thrilling murder mystery. Protagonist Annie Laurence, a heartbroken and talented playwright seeking her own big break, moves from New York to Hollywood after a big breakup. Once there, finds herself entangled in a web of secrets and suspicion when the despised film critic, Fiona Farris, is discovered dead in the Canteen's kitchen.
Part mystery, part historical fiction. It was an easy, breezy mystery without vivid detailing of crime. I enjoyed the setting of this book a lot. However, I didn’t connect with any of the characters. There are a handful of them and none of them had any depth that made you care about them. In fact, they began to blend together in my mind. I was curious about the ending though, so I felt invested in the story. Overall, I hoped for more but it was an easy enough read.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James is an engaging mystery. Set in early Hollywood, the pace of the novel moves along quickly, albeit with a simple plot.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I enjoyed this plot and characters. Classic mystery style. Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

The Hollywood Canteen was a real-life venue where American servicement could spend a evening of entertainment away from civilians and officers, and possibly get to meet one of their favourite Hollywood stars. It was staffed by studio employees and actors who danced with them, performed on stage and served sandwhiches and drinks.

This is the story of a heartbroken New York playwright who gets a contract with a B-List Hollywood studio and moves all the way across the country for a new life. Within days she is witness to the aftermath of the murder of a film critic, gets caught up in the critic's cynical and jaded group of "friends" and sets about solving the murder when the police seem to have written it off as a suicide.

This story was quite convoluted and way too long. The author has tried to include some personal and relationship elements, but it just doesn't work. There's too much talking and driving around going on. The mystery was plausible and the ending tied everything up, but I was left feeling dissatisfied at the end and was looking forward to getting away from Annie and her world and starting a new book.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher In exchange for my honest review.

This was a fast paced 1940’s historical mystery. I found the protagonist enjoyable and relatable. I also enjoyed reading about an actual place The Hollywood Canteen, Hollywood glamour, music and WWII. The mystery kept me guessing and all of our suspects seem to have a secrets they wanted to keep hidden.

A cute and twisty historical fiction. Who don it??? Nobody knows. Loved the characters! Plot wasn’t very strong though.

This is a lush and glamourous murder-mystery set in 1940s war-time Hollywood was such a fun read.. Annie Lawrence, writer and playwright, moves to Hollywood to write for Pacific Pictures. Annie volunteers at the Canteen and meets a group of friends including, Fiona. When Fiona mysteries dies Annie takes on the role of amateur sleuth while trying to determine who she can trust and stay out of suspicion herself.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen takes us back to the height of World War II, with a mystery that intrigues and gives the reader fun characters to play with, but doesn’t really excite. It’s a pretty decent portrait of World War II-era Hollywood, but the mystery needed more punch to satisfy me.

After the play she was in in New York closed, Annie Laurence heads to Hollywood for a fresh start. Having broken up with her boyfriend, there’s nothing holding her to the Big Apple, so when Pacific Pictures offers her a contract in motion pictures, Annie jumps at the opportunity. The job, like everyone else’s job in the system at this point in time, comes with a requirement – she must put in time working at the Hollywood Canteen in the Ambassador Hotel. The Canteen is a nightclub staffed by volunteering Hollywood folks in support of servicemen heading overseas to fight in the war effort; they can dine, tipple, and dance with the beautiful people for free.

One night while on duty, Annie is shocked to stumble upon a body in the Canteen’s kitchen. The victim is crusty film critic Fiona Farris. It’s soon figured out that Fiona has been poisoned and Annie – having discovered the body – is an immediate suspect. Since Farris was not kind in her reviews and could make or break any career as she so pleased – and had a closely-knit but backbiting social circle who dubbed themselves The Ambassadors as they held court at the Ambassador Hotel - there’s some worry that one of the Canteen’s many A-list volunteers might have been responsible for her murder.

All of Annie’s stage successes have been in mysteries, so when one pops into being in front of her, she turns into a real-life detective. Annie decides to get to the bottom of things by cozying up to Fiona’s social circle. It turns out Fiona was surrounded by a flock of malcontents, and they’re all too willing to tell Annie what Fiona was up to. But who’s the real perp?

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen is well-grounded in its time and place, and provids a decently paced mystery, but some parts of it were a little hard to swallow.

While Annie is a wonderfully winning heroine, and I enjoyed watching her match wits with the wicked people around her, she gains entrance to Fiona’s inner circle with far too much ease. And they spill intimate secrets to her with little encouragement – and far too little consideration. I imagine we’re supposed to think that they believed they were writers BS-ing to writers, which explains the slackening of social norms, but it still doesn’t ring true.

Yet the mystery itself - and the romantic tangle Annie finds herself in, which I won’t spoil for fear of revealing too much of the subplot – do work, and it’s thanks to them that I can offer Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen a recommendation.