A female detective and her female butler solve mysteries in Hollywood
Story in a nutshell
Maggie Hill – thirty-five with a short-lived writing career and a broken marriage. You might say that things aren’t going too well but she’s keen to stay in California so she finds temporary work.
Her latest employer, the wealthy Ellis Kenilworth, has just asked her to type up his will that states that everything including his rare coin collection is to go to someone named Claire Conrad. Then Kenilworth shoots himself in the head.
Maggie now has to find this Claire and to see the will is carried out. But it’s not going to be such an easy thing to do. She and Claire have to protect the man’s dying wish but the hyenas are circling….
Place and setting
First published in the 1980s, this book contains some lovely items such as mentions of pantyhose and shoulder pads but it merely goes to reinforce the old glamour of LA such as depicted in the tv shows of the same era – Dynasty comes to mind?
There is a contrast in LA – rich and poor, LA and Pasadena, Maggie Hill, and Claire Conrad – the first seems to be the queen of the temps whilst Claire Conrad is more alert and organised – but when these two misfits at first come together to try and solve the mystery of the Kenilworth case, there is a lot of Hollywood and Californian banter which results.
Pasadena has a highly polished Calvinistic shine that will never tarnish
San Fernando valley – where Maggie says She had not come to LA to live here
the Ventura freeway – where she drives each day
Los Angeles
Claire Conrad is quite a unique character and it made for a refreshing change to have someone like her in a book about mystery and detection. Her working with Maggie Hill is a strange dynamic and at first you might think that it won’t work but it does and its compelling to read. I want to meet this Claire, I think she and I would get along great.
The complicated web of deceit and mystery is good too as it’s a mix of two mysteries circling at once. The second only really happens when people are trying to mask the first. Oh what a tangled web we weave.
There are some humorous and witty moments dotted throughout too – is this the Hollywood irony of the author creeping through? Whatever it is, it worked for me and there were gems of joy amidst the detection work –
Being a detective is a little like being a magician. When you’re doing something devious with your left hand, make sure the audience is looking at your right hand.
The Hollywood landscape, a detective story, two mysteries and a large dose of wit make this a unique read.
The book trail 