Evelyn Galloway is the brand-new girl in town, the company town of Hollywood. Evelyn (pronounced ¨EEV-lin," just like Evelyn Waugh), this plucky, observant, red-headed beauty could easily be the heroine of a Hitchcock thriller; instead, she´s Alfred Hitchcock´s extremely talented script supervisor on the hottest upcoming film version of the hottest new novel, Rebecca. (Rebecca was Hitchcock´s first Hollywood production.) On her first day in Hollywood, Evelyn meets the kindly John Cunningham Margrave, a silent-film idol now reduced to secondary roles in talkies, despite his pleasant voice, good lucks and talent. Soon after, Margrave is killed.

Author Amy Patricia Meade provides a window into the corrupt Hollywood Los Angeles of 1939 (think L.A. Confidential) as well as a suspenseful murder mystery. I loved Evelyn; her bohemian landlady and friend, petite blonde dancer Mary Truman (stage name: Marlena True); and Margrave himself. There were so many twists, and I never guessed the true perpetrator. Best news of all? This is the first of a series; the next mystery will revolve around Hitchcock´s 1940 classic Foreign Correspondent, which is based on Vincent Sheean´s memoir, Personal History by Vincent SheeanPersonal History (1935). I cannot wait!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for an honest review.

Death Upon A Star

By Patricia Meade

Published February, 2025

Evelyn Galloway, a New Yorker, who, seeing that her ability to work in films is drying up in Gotham, heads to Hollywood to take a studio job as a script writer, is the likeable protagonist.

Cliches abound in the story, starting with her dame of a roommate who is a wise-cracking cutie pie. They become instant girlfriends over egg sandwiches and soda pop.

It’s 1939 Hollywood before World War II and the threat of war and its effects on the films and many of the big screen’s British and European ties hangs over the characters and their jobs.

Mystery, and the ambiance of mystery is meant to be heightened by the Alfred Hitchcock set of Rebecca ~ one of my most favorite thriller films

This story is about relationships ~ not a lot of action or scene-setting.

Evelyn solves the mystery of John Margrave, a man she met on the set her first day at the studio. He’d been a silent film matinee idol that Evelyn worshipped growing up, going to the cinema with her father. Margrave impressed Evelyn with his kindness, giving her a feel for the studio’s politics and showing her the ropes, so to speak. He invited her to lunch the next day to discuss a script he was working on, but he doesn’t show up, and later that evening Evelyn unwittingly is a witness to his murder scene when she sees a mysterious man near Margrave’s apartment gazebo and a famous actress fleeing the scene. When the newspaper reports don’t match what she saw, Evelyn inserts herself into the investigation. She feels obligated to figuring out who could have done this to such a good man. Little by little, like constructing a movie sequence, she plots and prods.

Because the characters and the relationships are so engaging, you suspend the realism that the LAPD would even allow/dare I say “entertain” Eveyln to ever pursue her detective work. But again, like a Nancy Drew novel, this is a charming storyline and a determined dame. It’s simply a fun detective story to read. Eveyln relies on her friends to solve the murder mystery the LA cops can’t.

The author pens a real sense of the times especially the fashions, the fear of impending war, and the sense that the world is changing. Death Upon a Star is historical fiction light, with all the Hollywood trimmings: stage moms, studio heads, and the feeling of family that staff personnel on the lot feel for one another. There’s also plenty of behind the scenes drama, with screen personalities that help enliven and give a sense of character. There’s Lawrence Oliver ~(who playfully admonishes: “Call me Larry”) his then wife, Vivien Leigh, who was vying for the Rebecca lead, that instead went to Joan Fontaine, as per Hitchcock’s keen instinct.

Dinner parties and working with Alfred Hitchock and his wife, there are enough of these Easter eggs to provide a plummy gravitas.

There is a wee bit of an attempt to shine a light on cultural prejudice when the Mexican-American studio film archivist confides about how things are in Hollywood for a man like him and how he fears Evelyn’s roommate wouldn’t go for a guy like him but it’s just a hint.. No expository or more in-depth side story.

Death Upon a Star is slated to be a book series. And I can see this as a streaming entertainment series too, because of the opportunity to mine Old Hollywood, glamorous fashions, parties, booze, broads, and a good mystery. It is fun, lighthearted entertainment. You’ll find it great to curl up with this book for a rainy day or a happy beach read. The characters are just swell in a Nancy drew-like way.

Thanks to NetGalley and @severnhouse for the ARC read.

Amazing book author.

Love the title and cover of the book.

I can't wait to read more books from this author.

Death Upon a Star is an interesting old Hollywood murder mystery with former child stars, stage moms, famous directors, studio heads, and other entertainment folk. I appreciated that the author had done lots of research on the time period but sometimes the descriptions of the clothes or the scenery was a little too long. But I did enjoy the story and the fun. Very very abrupt ending, just an fyi

What could be better than a story set in 1939 LA on the set of Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca? Hard to beat and a great start to a new series!

Evelyn has landed a dream job working with said producer around all the glamour and glitz. But when a murder happens and Evelyn thinks she saw something, the journey begins.

The author has researched her historical facts which really make the story and characters shine!

It’s 1939, and Evelyn Galloway is a script supervisor who has just arrived in Hollywood. She’s a script supervisor and she’s got a job working on Alfred Hitchcock’s new movie, Rebecca. Soon she’s on the film lot and mixing with the stars and crew. When she meets one of her favourite actors, she’s delighted to find that he’s actually a nice person and they arrange to meet for lunch. Except that he never turns up - and is then found murdered. When the stories in the papers don’t match up with what she know, Evelyn decides to start looking into the murder herself.

This is the first in a series - and there’s a bit of mysterious backstory going on here as well as the mystery plot. This is right in a part of history when I think mystery stories really work and Hollywood is a fun setting for something like this. There are some real people in this in minor roles, and there are some bits that are inspired by real people or stories that you can spot too if you’ve read a bit about golden age Hollywood. It’s not ground breaking, but it is a nice easy and relaxing read that is a fun way of spending a few hours. I would happily read the next one in the series if it passed my way.

Thank you to Netgalley and Severn House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a nice historical cozy mystery. The Golden Age Hollywood setting is nicely explored and I like seeing the filmmaking process through the eyes of our protagonist. The mystery, unfortunately, is a bit lackluster and things get too melodramatic at the end for my liking. Admittedly, we are in Hollywood but it's such a departure from the tone of the book that it feels jarring. Still, I enjoy the characters and would love to see more of them in the future.

"Part of my job in movies is to ensure a storyline has continuity. This story doesn’t.”
-Evelyn Galloway, Death Upon a Star

Death Upon a Star immerses readers in the glory days of 1939 Hollywood as Evelyn Galloway, a script supervisor who lands her dream job on her first day in LA, finds herself at the center of a high profile murder. She will be working alongside an up-and-coming director named Alfred Hitchcock on his production of Rebecca, but things start to go sideways before she’s even had a chance to unpack her bags.
John Margrave, legendary silent film actor, is found dead in his apartment and Evelyn is not satisfied with the explanation the police and the Los Angeles Times are providing. What ensues is a charming detective story with all of the classic Hollywood characters and mystery devices.
Death Upon a Star is cute and entertaining, with vivid descriptions of the fashions of the period and nods to celebrities of yore like Alfred Hitchcock, Vivian Leigh, and Lawrence Olivier (call me Larry). That said, the story was sometimes saccharine and shallow. The characters were frequently two dimensional, such that even when I wanted to care about them, there wasn’t enough to sink my teeth into. The plot moved along mostly because literally everyone was compelled to tell our heroine everything they knew upon meeting her. Why? Well, because she was pretty.
Death Upon a Star is a nod to the classic murder mystery stories of yore. If you enjoy Rogers & Hammerstein musicals, Hitchcock films, and Agatha Christie novels, this would be a fun rainy day read.

Evelyn is a likable and determined protagonist in this atmospheric old Hollywood mystery set in 1939 just before WW2. The mystery unfolds at a gentle pace, and the focus is more on the relationships and interactions between characters than the action which does make it feel more slow than life or death. This did make the story somewhat forgettable but as a first in the series hopefully things will develop and the other characters will be shown more. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Death Upon A Star is book 1 in An Evelyn Galloway Mystery.

Evelyn is excited to start working for the talented Alfred Hitchcock but when a legendary actor turns up dead, the day before she was supposed to have lunch with, Evelyn can't help but see that the press was trying to tarnish his image and there was more to his death.

This was a cozy read and a great start to the series. It was hard for me to put down and the characters did grow on me as the story went on. I think I may need to watch all Alfred Hitchcock's movies before the next book is released!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amy Patricia Meade for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Death Upon a Star coming out February 4, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really love cozy historical mysteries. Golden Hollywood stories are really fun to me. I love the glitz and glam. The mystery was also really fun. I enjoyed the references to Rebecca. I thought Evelyn was a smart, strong character. I would check out more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical cozy mysteries!

I thank NetGalley and Severn House for an advance reader copy of “Death Upon a Star.” All opinions and comments are my own.

A dream job – script supervisor for Alfred Hitchcock. And working on the master director’s latest blockbuster -- “Rebecca.” Hollywood newcomer Evelyn Galloway can’t believe her luck. That is, until a body becomes part of the picture.

“Death Upon a Star” has plenty of potential film noir plots to choose from, which means plenty of suspects. The author throws in a cast of characters and enough red herrings to keep the pot boiling a ‘plenty. In the end, a simple motive for murder emerges, as Evelyn explains to her attentive audience.

I could have done without the soap opera touch at the end. It marred (for me) what was an intriguing tale with robust characters and a fast-paced look inside Hollywood and its stars, not to mention the threat of war and how that’s going to affect the many Hollywood insiders with British ties. With glimpses of what goes on “behind the scenes,” and pop-ins of some of Tinseltown’s Golden Age greatest (among them “Rebecca"’s Olivier and Fontaine, with Vivien Leigh thrown in for good measure), author Amy Patricia Meade’s “Death Upon a Star” is an entertaining addition to the historical mystery genre.

I am not usually a fan of historical books, but something about this book really caught my attention. I loved that this took place in the late 30s in Hollywood. The author did an amazing job setting the book and the mystery aspect was wonderful. The protagonist was fantastic and at times, I really felt like I was there. The pacing of the book was perfect and I hope this author decides to write more!

really a great read! i cannot wait to tell my coworkers and students about this book once it comes out!

When I saw Amy's posts about this book on Twitter, I immediately found the concept intriguing...what could be better than a mystery set around the filming of Rebecca, one of my favorite films? The book did not disappoint. Evelyn is the perfect protagonist; smart, engaging, and fun to read, and I loved seeing Hitchcock, Olivier, and Fontaine brought to life. The story was well done, with just the right amount of historical details to give it verisimilitude. Thank you to Amy, the publisher, and NetGalley!

DNF at 46%.
I really tried with this book, and I might give it a go again in the future. The pacing was just very slow for me and I felt like nothing really happened for ages.

The characters were likable and the plot was not bad, I just did not connect with it. The writing was also fine, it was just the pacing that felt off. I'm usually a quick reader and I struggled with this book for over a month.

🍨Review: Death Upon a Star

🍰Rate: 5 Stars!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖Praise: Wow!! This was an absolutely adventurous cozy historical mystery! And the real gem in the middle of all this is that it was on a movie set! Alfred Hitchcock has serious game! And so does the author Amy Patricia Meade! A mystery on a movie set is the most delicious kind of mystery you can pick up!

🥞 I'm glad I started the first book of this fun series! I truly love Evelyn! When a script supervisor is sent to Los Angeles to work on Alfred Hitchcock's film it's definitely going to be a recipe for both mysteries on set and off!

💌First of all! My historic loving old movie heart cannot believe I was readinf about a character working on an Alfred Hitchcock film! The way the author describes each scene that the characters go through and solving a mystery and going about their daily life makes me really want to binge it like a Netflix show!

🍩Second! May this series please continue until book 1 million! LOL I truly truly truly love any mystery books that have to do with old-time actors and movie sets! All time actors have the best kind of drama! Vintage drama! The author did beautifully conveying all of this into an entertaining tale!

🎙️Characters: Evelyn's character truly is witty and very observant! She's quirky and figure things out that others don't see in her own way! Very admirable! Murder surrounded by a bunch of actors definitely takes great skill to solve! With everybody who professionally can become anyone they want to. Who will Evelyn trust and not trust? Love this!!!

💖Trope: THIS IS A BOOK SERIES I WILL READ OVER AND OVER! I'M GOING TO READ BOOK ONE OVER AND OVER UNTIL BOOK 2 COMES OUT!

🍪 Cozy mystery
🍪 Historical fiction
🍪 Old Hollywood
🍪 Thought-provoking
🍪 Must read!
🍪 Historical film facts

Bravo Amy! 🍭

This book is entertaining if a bit slow-paced. I didn’t really connect emotionally with the characters. The solution of the mystery seemed to come out of nowhere and frankly seemed improbable, the laws of physics being what they are.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

A nice start to a new cozy series set in old Hollywood. Evelyn, a script supervisor on the movie Rebecca, finds herself solving the murder of an actor. It's nicely atmospheric and a reminder of how different crime solving was before the technology we have today. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. It's light and not too complicated-making for a good read on a lazy day.

Fresh off the train from New York, Evelyn Galloway lands her covered job as script supervisor for Hitchcock's Rebecca, and meets one of her heroes, silent movie actor John Cunningham Musgrave. When he's killed the day after and the press becomes smearing him, she knows she's the person that should solve his murder...

The description of the book as a "cozy mystery" is an apt one: there's no real surprises or tension throughout the book, the characters are very black or white, so one knows they should not expect a "good" character to be revealed as one of the suspects, for example. The mystery itself was nice but not particularly elaborate, and the conclusion was quite predictable. The style is also quite plain and tends to overexplain or overexpose all the details, making the dialogues quite unrealistic for the sake of putting all the details out for the reader. All in all, it wasn't a bad read, but quite an entry -level mystery. I liked the setting in 1939 and the real-life characters sprinkled throughout.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.