School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--It's 1934, and Hollywood promises wealth and fame. Henrietta and Declan arrive in Los Angeles, pursuing very different versions of success. Henrietta, an overlooked middle child from Chicago, trades sensible for glamorous, while Declan's hidden past offers scant clues as to why he is so averse to fame and fortune. Both quickly discover that Hollywood is simply a flashy veneer covering dark and dangerous men. Dozens of girls are missing, workplace safety is a myth, and contracts are downright predatory. Hollywood runs rampant with toxic masculinity and casting couches. Henrietta's ambitious acting dreams might implode if she can't keep her mouth shut. But the ghosts of dead girls refuse to stay silent, haunting Henrietta until she helps them find justice. Meanwhile, Declan hides an extraordinary ability, teaming up with a P.I. to find one of the missing girls and hopefully answer a burning question from his childhood. Despite being forced into a sham romance for the cameras, the protagonists combine their unique capabilities to bring justice, accidentally falling in love along the way. Told in alternating chapters, this fast-paced mystery twists and turns, providing snippets of real 1934 history to bring the story to life. While savvy readers will see through most of the red herrings, the snappy dialogue and a humdinger of a final plot twist offer a satisfying read. Most characters are cued white. Best friend Pep Perez is Latino. VERDICT An exciting addition to any high school mystery or historical fiction collection.--Kristen Rademacher
Publisher's Weekly Review
A starlet and a stuntman team up to solve a string of Hollywood disappearances in this fiercely feminist speculative caper by Kulper (Murder for the Modern Girl). It's 1934, and newly clairvoyant 18-year-old aspiring actor Henrietta Newhouse has just left Chicago for a serendipitous job opportunity in Los Angeles. Elsewhere in L.A., Declan Collins's manager suggests that the 19-year-old abandon stunt work for on-screen acting, lest someone notice his preternatural invincibility. Henny and Declan meet and butt heads during a joint screen test, but their electric chemistry lands Henny a major role with prestigious Silver Wing Studios and Declan a gig as Henny's pretend boyfriend, to help elevate her image. The duo bicker constantly until each learns that the other is secretly investigating why Silver Wing actresses keep vanishing: Declan because he's been hired by a missing girl's family, and Henny because she encountered the ghost of her friend Miriam after the rising star purportedly quit the business and moved back home. Kulper delivers an action-packed mystery replete with witty dialogue and buoyed by an ardent, slow-burn romance that enthralls while spotlighting Hollywood's long history of abusing, commodifying, and discarding women. Most characters cue as white. Ages 14--up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (May)