from Pages with Sudeshna on Instagram
If you are in the mood for something fun, fast-paced, and a little unusual, you simply must check out “Round Up the Unusual Suspects” by Elizabeth Crowens. I went into this one expecting a standard historical mystery, and honestly, it is just not.
With a backdrop of chaos in WWII Hollywood, the plot begins with a murder on a Warner Bros. sound stage, and it just goes downhill from there in this crazy, wild ride of a book. You get private detectives Babs Norman and Guy Brandt working alongside a German stuntman-turned-spy, all while dealing with Nazi sympathizers, bomb threats, and even Japanese internment. Sounds heavy, and parts of it get there, but there is a good amount of humor, quirky moments (yes, there are parrots!), and a sort of old-Hollywood charm to this book that makes it really easy to get through.
What I really loved is that the real historical figures such as Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are incorporated into the story in a way that doesn’t seem forced. It really does seem like you are watching a classic film come to life before your eyes. The mystery is intriguing, but it is the characters and their interactions that keep you wanting to read more.
If you like historical fiction, especially when it is got a bit of a twist, some espionage, and a lot of personality, I really think you will have a great time with this one. It is the kind of book that I would recommend to a friend, and now I am recommending it to you.
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