MYSTERY

The Hurricane Blonde

Putnam. Aug. 2023. 384p. ISBN 9780593421895. pap. $18. THRILLER
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The dark side of Hollywood is exposed alongside the glitz and glamour in Sutton’s second novel (after The Lady Upstairs). Salma Lowe, former child-actor–turned–tabloid fodder due to her public fall from grace, is now a guide for the Stars Six Feet Under tour, which takes visitors to Los Angeles sites made famous due to their connections to the actresses who died there. Salma is all too familiar with the trauma that these deaths can cause: her older sister Tawney, also an actor, nicknamed “the Hurricane Blonde,” was one of those tragedies. When Salma discovers the body of a young actress who met a similar demise—at the same location where Tawney died—she’s pulled back into the secrets and mystery surrounding her sister’s death. The police believe this new case is an accidental death, but Salma is determined to track down the murderer once and for all.
VERDICT Filled with twists and turns to keep the pace moving, this noir’s themes (racism, misogyny, family dynamics) are made for group discussions. Perfect for book clubs and all public library shelves where thrillers are popular (and where aren’t they?).
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