Design for Dying - (Lillian Frost & Edith Head) by Renee Patrick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Los Angeles, 1937. Lillian Frost has traded dreams of stardom for security as a department store salesgirl . . . until she discovers she's a suspect in the murder of her former roommate, Ruby Carroll. Party girl Ruby died wearing a gown she stole from the wardrobe department at Paramount Pictures, domain of Edith Head.

Edith has yet to win the first of her eight Academy Awards; right now she's barely hanging on to her job, and a scandal is the last thing she needs. To clear Lillian's name and save Edith's career, the two women join forces.

Unraveling the mystery pits them against a Hungarian princess on the lam, a hotshot director on the make, and a private investigator who's not on the level. All they have going for them are dogged determination, assists from the likes of Bob Hope and Barbara Stanwyck, and a killer sense of style. In show business, that just might be enough.

The first in a series of riveting behind-the-scenes mysteries, Renee Patrick's Design for Dying is a delightful romp through Hollywood's Golden Age.

Review Quotes

"A champagne-flavored frolic of a first mystery set during Hollywood's golden age. This is sure to delight fans of old Hollywood and Turner Classic Movies." --Library Journal

"A beguiling champagne-cocktail-of-a-crime-novel. Supporting parts played by Billy Wilder, Barbara Stanwyck, and Preston Sturges will make every seasoned cinephile swoon. Design for Dying is a delight." --Louise Penny, New York Times bestselling author

"Vibrant, stylish and crackling, Design for Dying is both a gift to devotees of Golden Age Hollywood and a mystery-lover's delight. It's a delicious cocktail, one you won't want to end." --Megan Abbott, bestselling author

"A delightful cocktail of a mystery - equal parts sweet, tart, and effervescent...a read covered in movie magic stardust." --Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times-bestselling author

"A complex environment for sleuthing replete with possibilities and an exciting sense of the glamorous, gossipy, and creative world of cinema's golden age. The warm working relationship that develops between Lillian and Edith will leave readers eager to see more of their adventures." -Publishers Weekly

"Design for Dying reads like a dream, one in which classic Hollywood does a dance with old-school crime fiction. It's spiced with famous faces and features a beguiling newcomer, Lillian Frost, who's destined to be a star in her own right. They don't make 'em like this anymore--so it's a good thing Renee Patrick is here to write 'em."--Eddie Muller, Shamus Award-winning author of The Distance and host of Turner Classic Movies' Noir Alley

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