First published 1998
A film crew descends on Hampstead, Kansas, bringing chaos to Police Chief Susan Wren's quiet town. During a movie shoot, stunt double Kay Bender dies in what looks like an accident. Kay was a dead ringer for the film's star, Laura Edwards, a beautiful but widely despised actress. Susan suspects someone meant to kill Laura instead. The investigation reveals a web of motives. The temperamental director faces massive budget overruns. Laura's boyfriend, the narcissistic actor Nick Logan, is having an affair with Sheri Lloyd, Laura's rival who openly hates her. Then Susan discovers her deputy Parkhurst was once married to Laura. As she digs deeper into the case, Susan must confront her own jealousy over Parkhurst's past with the glamorous actress while wrestling with her growing attraction to this enigmatic officer whose true feelings remain a mystery.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Hampstead, Kansas
336 pages · Kindle Edition · Minotaur Books