100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

Rosie Paige is an actress in 1926.  She has been pushed into the rush of 1920's Hollywood by her mother, Beatrice who believes that making Rosie a starlet will solve all of her own problems.  Rosie would much rather spend time with her pets and her boyfriend, Eddie who helps out on set.  When the Chester Harris is suddenly shot and killed on the set of a movie Rosie is in, Eddie is considered a prime suspect.  However, with several similar shootings in the past, the police department needs to solve the case quickly and is willing to blame just about anyone in order to call the crime solved exposing the corruption, greed and political influences of the time.

Trouble in Glamour Town is a fast-paced historical mystery set within the mystique of 1920's Hollywood.  This book caught my attention right from the start with an intense look at the murder from the killer's point of view.  After that moment, we still have no idea who committed the crime and the mystery builds.  From that point, Rosie took center stage.  She is a strong character from the start making herself stand apart from the other Hollywood starlets that she is surrounded by.  Despite Rosie's strength of character, she struggles to find her independence due to her dedication to her mother.  Beatrice is the ultimate stage-mother taking a job as a seamstress to be close to Rosie as well as get all the inside gossip.  Beatrice also uses the guilt of Rosie's father leaving them to oversee the comings and goings of Rosie's life along with their superintendent, Walt.  Along with the murder mystery and the suspense of having Eddie as a suspect, this was also a coming of age story for Rosie.  The shooting acted as a jumping point for Rosie to think about getting out of the corruption of Hollywood; she begins to think about her own dreams rather than her mother's and push back.  The mystery itself grows gradually until the end. Along with adding suspense, the killing exposes many nuances of the time period including prohibition, sexuality, and crime.  With an exciting and unexpected conclusion, Trouble in Glamour Town provides a fun and fast historical mystery. 

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.