What is it about?
A young girl is fascinated by Hollywood and the film industry which is still in its infancy in 1926. Blanche is fifteen when a predator pretending to be a producer finds her in a small Oklahoma town. Charming and skilled at the seduction of young women, Graham Peyton persuades Blanche that he loves her and that he can get her into the movies. Blanche doesn't take a great deal of convincing and agrees to run off with him, but it doesn't take long before Blanche must confront her mistake.
Luckily, Blanche is more than a silly, star-struck adolescent; she has skills from growing up on a farm with brothers and is able to escape a "fate worse than death" and find friends that support and encourage her.
Withing six years, Blanche becomes Bianca LaBelle whose character Bianca Dangereuse is the adventurous heroine of several silent films. Blanche has been inordinately lucky in her friendships. In fact, Mrs. Gilbert and Alma Bolding are a rich part of the story.
Private investigator Ted Oliver has been hired to investigate the death of a man who disappeared five years ago and whose skeletal remains have recently been discovered. What does this have to do with Bianca and her friends?
An interesting beginning to a new series.
NetGalley/Poisoned Pen Press
Historical Mystery. Nov. 11, 2019. Print length: 256 pages.
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I'm interested in The Library of Ice.
This one sounds interesting, Jenclair. Sadly, though, not a whole lot has changed in Hollywood and the movie industry even today. This is another reminder of how predatory a business that is - and probably always has been.
ReplyDeleteStrangely, I just read an article about the murder of William Desmond Taylor that mentioned some of the other scandals of early Hollywood this morning. Early Hollywood was a wild place.
DeleteGlad to see you enjoyed The Wrong Girl, Jenclair!
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy it and look forward to more. :)
DeleteThe Wrong Girl does sound like a fun read. I like that time period. So fascinating.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting--not my usual kind of read. I usually avoid Hollywood mysteries, but I enjoyed this one.
DeleteEarly Hollywood is a great time period in which to set a fictional mystery. I think I would love the details of the setting for sure.
ReplyDeleteI really would have liked more of the actual films (especially the fictional Bianca Dangereuse films), but it was fun seeing real people like Tom Mix, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks have small roles. :)
DeleteEverything about Blanche intrigues me! And I need to know how Blanche and her friends tie into the Murder -- there are such distances (I think is the right word) to these plot points, but I hope they work and this is a goodread!
ReplyDeleteThere are distances between Blanche and Ted Oliver threads, but of course, they do blend together gradually. :)
DeleteI am glad you enjoyed this one, Jenclair, especially after your run of bad luck with books. I have this one on my wish list and hope to read it eventually.
ReplyDeleteOh the Library on Ice sounds very interesting. The Wrong Girl sounds a bit different too. More books for the list! :)
ReplyDeleteThe Wrong Girl sounds interesting. The setting and the time period make it more appealing, too.
ReplyDelete