Do Tell

DEBUT Lynch takes readers back in time to the golden age of Hollywood with this novel about a character actress-turned-gossip columnist named Edie O’Dare. Sophie Melrose, a young starlet on the rise, hands Edie a letter detailing a sexual assault by an A-list actor at a party attended by Hollywood’s elite. Edie arranges for the publication of the letter, which sets off a chain of events that change more than one life. Scandalous stories such as this assault allow Edie’s career to flourish, but not without costing her some friends after she publishes their secrets. When she finds herself in the middle of a high-profile trial, Edie is forced to make an impossible choice that could destroy more lives. An overly complicated plot and flat characters make it difficult to care about the people in this debut.