"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.

The premise of *Be Careful What You Wish For* had me hooked from the start—Old Hollywood glamour, the making of Hitchcock’s *Rebecca,* historical fiction, and a cozy murder mystery all rolled into one? Yes, please! Evelyn Galloway is an engaging protagonist, and the book does a great job immersing you in 1939 Los Angeles, complete with the intrigue and cutthroat nature of the film industry.

The writing captured the time period beautifully, with dialogue and descriptions that felt authentic to the era. The pacing kept the mystery moving, though I occasionally wished for a deeper dive into some of the supporting characters. That said, the twists and turns were enjoyable, and Evelyn’s determination to uncover the truth made her someone I’d happily follow into another case.

This was a fun, light read with a lot of charm. I’d definitely pick up future books in this series to see where Evelyn’s Hollywood adventures take her next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC.

I enjoyed the book. The book itself started out a little slow and was not always easy to get through. The ending, on the other hand, felt a little rushed.

Death Upon a Star is a cozy murder mystery, which takes place during the filming of Alfred Hitchcock’s movie classic, Rebecca in 1939.
Easy to read and entertaining but the ending, even though has a little twist, feels a little rushed.

Overall this was a fun read and I look forward to the next one in the series.

This is my personal and honest review. The book is set to be published on Feb 04, 2025.
Thank you NetGalley, Severn House and Amy Patricia Meade for this digital ARC.

DEATH UPON A STAR is the first book in the brand-new Evelyn Galloway Mysteries by Amy Patricia Meade. Combining glamorous 1939 Hollywood with producer Alfred Hitchcock on the set for the filming of Rebecca, the author sets the stage for the perfect cozy mystery! The plucky protagonist, Evelyn Galloway, is every girl’s dream. She’s independent, ready to go after what she wants, a friend to everyone around her, and smart as a whip, especially when it comes to piecing together clues to solve a murder.

Ms. Meade does an admirable job bringing the time period to life, and it’s obvious she’s done meticulous research. Her strong descriptive skills make you feel like you’re right there… so much so that I felt panicked when Evelyn needed to call for immediate help, but cell phones hadn’t been invented yet. She had to run to find someone or a telephone! It brought to light just how much modern-day conveniences make our lives much easier. The pacing was well-done, and clues were scattered about for a sharp reader to catch. This is a wonderful start to what I hope is a long-running series!

I was provided with an advance copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The movie business is leaving New York for Los Angeles, and if Evelyn wants to stay in the business, she must move too. She lands a job as a script supervisor for newcomer Alfred Hitchcock’s new movie, Rebecca, and is thrilled. When one of the first people she meets is later found dead in his home, she doesn’t buy the police’s theory and begins to ask questions of her own.

Although she has written quite a few books before this one, I have never read anything by this author before, so didn’t know what to expect. I needn’t have worried, as I was drawn into the story almost from the very first page. I like Evelyn (pronounced EVE-linn) and the people who seem like they’ll be recurring characters if this turns into a series. There were quite a few famous characters involved, including Evelyn’s boss, Alfred Hitchcock. It will be fun to see who else turns up in future books, again if this turns into a series.

The mystery here was done well, with only a handful of serious suspects to consider. Every time I thought I’d figured it out, something happened to prove me wrong. I started to suspect the actual culprit just before it was revealed in the book, but I never would have guessed the motive.

I hope this book is the first in a series, because I’d love to read more about Evelyn… and about movie-making in the 1940s.

This is a nice story with well developed characters, good storyline and a nice setting (place and time). I enjoyed the writing style.
I received an advance review copy via Netgalley/Severn House and I’m leaving a voluntary and honest review.

Amy Patricia Meade's'Death Upon A Star introduces readers to Evelyn Galloway who quickly wins our undivided attention, landing the coveted position as script supervisor to Alfred Hitchcock for his film 'Rebecca..
It's 1939 in Los Angeles, and there's an immediate air of mystery and suspense as Evelyn is befriended by an actor and finds herself trying to untangle a web of murder and deceit with several people in the frame for a shocking crime.
Lovers of cozy mysteries, film buffs and anyone who likes to pit their wits against a well written puzzle will be right at home here, and will relish the prospect of further adventures with this likeable heroine.
Death Upon A Star is an enjoyable read, moving along at a fair old clip, with no triggers to report and I thoroughly recommend it..