When it comes to writing Golden Age Hollywood biographies, the pen is deadlier than the sword. Charlotte Donovan is an assistant to a world-famous biographer of Hollywood stars, the overbearing Justine Turner. It comes as no surprise to Charlotte when Justine requests an emergency meeting related to her latest in-progress biography. It is a surprise, though, when Justine up and dies before their urgent discussion can begin.
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When it comes to writing Golden Age Hollywood biographies, the pen is deadlier than the sword. Charlotte Donovan is an assistant to a world-famous biographer of Hollywood stars, the overbearing Justine Turner. It comes as no surprise to Charlotte when Justine requests an emergency meeting related to her latest in-progress biography. It is a surprise, though, when Justine up and dies before their urgent discussion can begin.
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Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 348 p. A Charlotte Donovan Mystery, 1. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 348 p. A Charlotte Donovan Mystery, 1. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 348 p. A Charlotte Donovan Mystery, 1. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 348 p. A Charlotte Donovan Mystery, 1. In Stock. 100% Money Back Guarantee. Brand New, Perfect Condition, allow 4-14 business days for standard shipping. To Alaska, Hawaii, U.S. protectorate, P.O. box, and APO/FPO addresses allow 4-28 business days for Standard shipping. No expedited shipping. All orders placed with expedited shipping will be cancelled. Over 3, 000, 000 happy customers.
Justine Turner is a world-famous biographer of Hollywood stars. Charlotte Donovan is her assistant. Together they are working on a biography of Jean Harlow. She was the ââ?¬Å"Original Blonde Bombshellââ?¬Â? and the leadingÃ? sex symbol of the early 1930s. Charlotte is used to being summoned by her boss so her requesting an emergency meeting at Layla's Tea Room was not a surprise. The meeting starts out well but soon Justine is complaining about being warm. It is then Charlotte notices how pale her boss is. She leaves the booth to get the woman a cool towel but when she returns to the table Justine appears to be asleep but the waiter soon informs Charlotte that she has passed away.
In the aftermath, Charlotte tries to tie up loose ends and the publisher has asked her to finish the Harlow biography as fast as she can. She loved to do that, but a Harlow look-alike appears to be stalking her. She's being threatened online too. NYPD Sergeant Den Brophy is on the case but he is going to need Charlotte's help to dig into Justine's life to figure out who would want to kill her and why. He is also going to have to keep her safe.
_____
Charlotte is a complex individual. While her boss lived in New York, she lives and does most of her work on Cloister Island. She lives with her alcoholic mother who falls off the wagon often. Then her grandmother steps in to help. Charlotte also suffers from Lyme Disease and she has some brutal flare-ups. Her boss Justine was very supportive and they worked around all the effects of the disease.
Charlotte grew up with her best friend Kate on Cloister Island but back then her name was "Karl". Her family did not support her transition so she moved away and made a life in New York. It is almost like Kate and Charlotte are connected at the hip when she is in the city. Hardly a day goes by when they are not together. We also meet Sergeant Den Brophy, "an Irish cop with a Brooklyn accent" with "eyes as blue as a jay's wings". Charlotte does have a thing for cops and this one appears to be very interested in her. All of the characters in this story have depth and feel true to life.
Charlotte thought she knew her boss so well but she found out that wasn't the case as she tried to come up with a list of suspects. The woman had a lot of secrets. Charlotte is caught off balance by the woman she sees everywhere who looks just like Jean Harlow. She knows she has to have something to do with the murder. A surprising discovery turns the tables in a new direction confuses Charlotte's thinking even more and puts her in danger too.
The mystery was twisty and complicated. I enjoyed the way Charlotte shared most of the information she gathered right away with Den. He was very open with her too. Their attraction continues to grow too but they vow to hold off until the case is closed. The case does start to go cold but an idea not supported by everyone sets up a fantastic showdown and reveal.Ã? I didn't realize I was holding my breath for a few seconds as one last piece of drama played out. Like many in the story, I was kept guessing until the very end.
I didn't know much about Jean Harlow but I remember watching some of her movies. The author includes an afterward where she shares some interesting facts and explains that the biographical information about Harlow is accurate but that she added some fictional events to the woman's life in the story. The story piqued my interest and I did find myself on Wikipedia to read even more about her. It is sad that she died so young.
The Jean Harlow Bombshell was a bombshell of a story. It was cleverly written and I was very entertained. Charlotte Donovan is unique and genuine and I want to know what happens next for her.Ã? Book 2 in this series, The Audrey Hepburn Heist has been added to my wish list and a recent interview with the author says that she has almost completed Book 3, ââ?¬Å"Hedy Lamarrââ?¬â?¢s Lost Ecstasyââ?¬Â?.
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