When readers left Joey Jessup at the end of Marjorie McCown’s Final Cut, she had discovered the identity of the murderer who had killed Assistant Director Courtney Lisle on the set of a big budget superhero movie. She had survived an attempt on her own life when the murderer had set ablaze Left Coast Costume, destroying the iconic Hollywood business, and was lying low for a while doing her best to recover from the trauma.
Now Joey is back at work on a glamorous period piece that will recreate Hollywood’s “golden age” for an upcoming feature film. But while the sets and the costumes are beautiful, they don’t completely erase the ugliness that keeps pervading their location shoot in downtown Los Angeles. When Joey takes a brief break to grab some food from a local shop near the set she witnesses a young woman attempting to leave the kitchen and be forced, struggling, into the back of the business. Joey thought about saying something and trying to help the girl, but thought better of it and left with her food. As she returns to “base camp”, she witnesses the same young woman running barefoot through the lanes of traffic in front of the shop. Before anyone can react, she is fatally struck by an SUV.
Joey is paralyzed with regret. If only she had said something or tried to help her while she was waiting for her food. Joey is also certain that she has seen the SUV that ran the woman down before. She just can’t remember where or when.
What seems, on the surface, to be a tragic accident that is completely unrelated to the film on which Joey is working, is actually the catalyst for a chain of events that will, ultimately, result in another death and another mystery for Joey to solve.
In the 2nd entry in the “Hollywood Mystery” series, Marjorie McCown takes readers back on the set to follow Joey Jessup as she does her best to get the job done, on time and under budget, while also identifying another murderer.
As in last year’s Final Cut, McCown takes readers behind the curtain and illustrates how some of the magic seen on movie screens is actually accomplished. She also provides enough information for those unfamiliar with the controlled chaos of a movie set to understand the methods in the madness (or recognize that some of how things are done is simply mad!) while also continuing to provide knowing “winks” to those in the industry who will recognize them. She also shows how, since each production is a new collection of professionals gathered to create a project, that it truly is the people who make the difference between a functional and dysfunctional workplace during a shoot.
Star Struck is also another compelling mystery with just enough twists, turns, and macguffins to keep readers guessing until the end. It will also leave readers wondering where McCown will take us next and what’s next in store for Joey Jessup!