Part of Maggie Hope, book 10
First published 2021
British spy Maggie Hope receives troubling news from Los Angeles in 1943. A woman has died in a hotel pool, and John Sterling, Maggie's former lover, believes it was murder. The victim was Sterling's fiancée. Despite the danger of leaving London during wartime, Maggie flies to California to help him uncover the truth. She finds a city split by racial tension and political divisions. The Zoot Suit Riots have shaken Los Angeles, and the Ku Klux Klan maintains a threatening presence. As Maggie investigates, she moves between Hollywood landmarks like the Garden of Allah hotel and the Carthay Theater. Her search reveals layers of deception beneath the glamorous surface of the film industry. The case forces her to confront both the complexities of American politics and her unresolved feelings for Sterling. While Disney produces propaganda films and jazz fills the Cocoanut Grove nightly, Maggie discovers that her homeland harbors darkness that rivals the conflicts overseas.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, mystery, thriller, espionage
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Los Angeles, London, Garden of Allah Hotel, Carthay Theater
Period: 1943
368 pages · Hardcover · Bantam
Content warnings: racism, violence