MYSTERY

Scandal in Babylon

by Barbara Hambly
Severn House. Sept. 2021. 240p. ISBN 9780727890382. $28.99. M
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Veteran fantasy and historical fiction author Hambly (Bride of the Rat God) ventures into the mystery realm with this first in a new series. It’s 1924 and Emma Blackstone, a British widow, has been living in California and working for her former sister-in-law, the celebrated actress Kitty Flint for six months. The job is not what Emma had pictured herself doing, but Kitty is only trying to help Emma. When Kitty’s ex-husband (or is he?) Rex Festraw turns up dead in her dressing room, with an incriminating note in his pocket, Kitty is suspect No. 1. But Emma does not believe her sister-in-law could have committed murder, so she sets out to prove Kitty’s innocence and encounters bitter rivals, jealous boyfriends, and secret plots along the way.
VERDICT Hambly’s characters seem too modern for the 1920s setting, as if they’ve been transported from the 21st century, and the story is all style, with little to sink one’s teeth into. Recommended for cozy mystery and Hambly fans and those who are interested in 1920s Hollywood.
Reviewed by Cynthia Price, Francis Marion Univ. Lib., Florence, SC , Oct 22, 2021
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