Review:  Jul 17, 2025

Fabulous as always, darling! 

At an all-star event in Hollywood, 1939, Director Orland Orcott is found dead in his study. This looks like suicide, but with plenty of people in attendance who also have motive for murder, film star Victor sets out to discover the truth. 

I always enjoy David’s stories because they are always delivered with such elegance you can only get for the periods they are set in. This one, holds true to all the glitz and glamour of Hollywood in 1939, and the characterisation of everyone fits profiles and manners of the period so well. Victor was a most curious fellow but smart too, and he was putting together the pieces so quickly he knew Orcott had been murdered right from the start. With his boyfriend, Griffin, and friend and costar, Eve helping out, they want to know what happened but secretly they are glad that Orland is dead. 

They themselves almost had a motive for the way he had treated them. I quickly ruled them out as they did themselves because there was no way they would have done something like that then wanted to investigate. And for once I suspected the right person, but only because Victor and his friends were finding the clues and I agreed and followed their logic and reasoning. Victor was thorough in exploring and explaining his theories for each person who could have been the suspect and then the one at the top of this list, but there was always a hint of humour surrounding their discussions and theorising that made this even more fun. 

I had a great time reading this and can’t wait for David’s next story.

Carol Hutchinson