Round Up the Unusual Suspects: A Babs Norman Golden Age of Hollywood Mystery
WRITTEN BY ELIZABETH CROWENS
REVIEW BY BONNIE DEMOSS
1942 Hollywood. Babs Norman and Guy Brandt, private detectives, are called to a Warner Brothers set of the movie Yankee Doodle Dandy. A man has been discovered murdered on the sound stage, and Jack Warner wants answers fast, before production is delayed. Meanwhile, WWII is raging, and America makes a decision that directly affects Babs’s boarder, Aoi Otake.
This is a fast-paced historical mystery with a breezy feel that definitely transports the reader to Hollywood’s Golden Age. Celebrities such as Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are featured, and a host of other Old Hollywood royalty make an appearance. Leon Lewis, who led an anti-Nazi spy ring in Los Angeles, also appears as an important, mostly behind-the-scenes, real-life character. Notorious mobster Bugsy Siegel even enters the story. The novel is well-researched, and the author’s knowledge of movie production is evident.
The quick, witty banter between Babs and Guy is enjoyable. Their pets include two rowdy, chattering macaws who lift the story. The book takes place mostly while Casablanca is filmed, and the mystery sometimes takes a back seat to movie production and Hollywood life. This book is raucous and wild and includes a sham marriage. In the midst of Hollywood chaos, serious subjects arise, including Japanese internment camps, and Babs’s efforts to help Mr. Otake add another level to the story. The mystery is complex and keeps you guessing until the very end. This is Book Three in the series, and while it can be read as a standalone, familiarity with the first two books would be helpful. Fans of the Golden Age of Hollywood will enjoy this historical mystery.