Synopsis (from
the publisher):
In 1955 Edna Ferber is basking in the success of her blockbuster novel
Giant. Director George Stevens and Warner Brothers Studio are in the
final days of filming her Texas oil epic, and Edna looks forward to
meeting Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor, and especially young James Dean.
But there is trouble brewing. James Dean, the new box-office sensation
and teen heartthrob, has been accused of fathering a child with an
unstable extra named Carisa Krausse. The studio fears the negative
publicity will jeopardize the release of the movie.
Then the actress is murdered, and James Dean is the prime suspect.
With character-actress Mercedes McCambridge as her sympathetic
sidekick, a shaken Edna investigates the killing, determined to clear
Dean’s name.
Edna soon entrenches herself in the life of the often secretive
maverick actor. But can she prove his innocence? The more she
investigates the more she uncovers simmering rivalries, petty
jealousies, and cruel infidelities—the dark underside of
glittering Hollywood.
— ◊ —
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Lone Star
An Edna
Ferber Mystery
Edward
Ifkovic
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-587-9 (1590585879)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-587-0 (9781590585870)
Publication Date: April 2009
List Price: $24.95
— ◊ —
Review: Edward
Ifkovic magically captures the essence of Hollywood in the 1950s when
he puts real-life author Edna Ferber into the role of amateur sleuth in
his debut mystery, Lone Star.
Edna Ferber’s award winning novel, Giant, is being adapted and
produced for the silver screen by Jack Warner. He has invited Edna to
Los Angeles to be on the set while filming the final scenes. An old
friend, Mercedes McCambridge, has a principal role in the film making
it special reason for her to accept the invitation. There she meets the
stars of the film: Rock Hudson, Liz Taylor, and Hollywood's latest teen
idol, James Dean. Trouble is looming on the set, however. A bit player
in the movie, Carisa Krausse, has been fired and is now threatening to
publicly accuse James Dean of fathering her unborn child. This is
fodder for not only the tabloids, but is also national news, thereby
risking the much publicized release of the movie. Warner insists the
company will take care of shutting the rumors down. Even though Dean
denies the claim he goes to see her inciting a violent argument heard
by other tenants in the building. When she is later found dead in her
apartment, James Dean becomes the prime suspect.
Most people who knew James believed he was very capable of killing.
After all, he was mean and had a bad temper when provoked. He would hit
a woman if she rebuked him. But Edna does not see this side of Jimmy
and she does not believe he is capable of murder. With Mercedes at her
side, Edna decides to do a little investigating on her own. She goes to
Carisa’s apartment on the seediest side of Los Angeles where she
encounters half-truths, bold lies, distrust and resentment. But she is
determined to find the truth. Will she? And if so, will the truth be
what she hopes it to be?
Lone Star is an
engrossing mystery highlighted by the gleaming lights of Hollywood and
its stars. The reader gets a taste of the behind the scenes duplicity
between producers, writers, gofers, bit players and stars. A murder
thrown in with the bad boy of Hollywood as the prime suspect and Edna
Ferber as an engaging amateur sleuth make for a most enjoyable read.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Lone Star and to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read Lone Star? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
Lone Star
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), April 2009
ISBN-10: 1-59058-587-9 (1590585879)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-587-0 (9781590585870)
Omnimystery keywords for Lone Star ...
Location(s) referenced: Hollywood, California.
