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The Starlets

A Novel

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

One perfect island. Two rivals. A star-studded cast.

But underneath the glitter, disaster is brewing.

Summer, 1958. Vivienne Rhodes thinks she's finally landed her break playing Helen of Troy in Apex Pictures' big-budget epic, A Thousand Ships, an anticipated blockbuster meant to resurrect the failing studio. Naturally, she's devastated when she arrives on the remote Italian island of Tavalli and finds herself cast as the secondary character, Cassandra—while her nemesis, the fiancé-stealing Lottie Lawrence, America's supposed "sweetheart," is playing the lead role instead.

The tension on set, though, turns deadly when the ladies discover that members of the crew are using the production as a front for something decidedly illegal—and that they are willing to kill to keep their dealings under wraps. When the two women find themselves on the run and holding key evidence, Vivienne and Lottie frantically agree to work together to deliver the proof to Interpol, hoping to protect both their lives and their careers.

Staying one step ahead of corrupt cops and looming mobsters, the archrivals flee across the seas. Their journey leads them into Monaco's casinos, Grace Kelly's palace, on a road trip through the Alps—even onto another film set, before a final showdown back on Tavalli, where the lives of the entire cast and crew hang in the balance. Vivienne and Lottie finally have the chance to be real heroines—to save the day, the film, maybe even each other—but only if they can first figure out how to share the spotlight.

  • "A spry and suspenseful crime novel set just after Hollywood's golden age" (starred Publishers Weekly review)
  • Stand-alone novel
  • Book length: 84,000 words
  • "A sheer delight! This fast-paced caper is fresh, fun, and exactly the escape readers need right now." —Marie Bostwick, New York Times bestselling author of Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly
  • Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn, Taylor Jenkins Reid, and Clive Cussler
  • Includes discussion questions for book clubs
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    • Reviews

      • Library Journal

        Starred review from September 1, 2024

        In their second collaboration (after The Antiquity Affair), Kelly and Thorne brilliantly capture both the glamour and grit of Golden Age Hollywood and then deftly fold this into an entertaining plot imbued with just the right measure of danger. It's bad enough that Lottie Lawrence stole Vivienne Rhodes's almost-fianc� Teddy Walters and her chance at an Oscar. Now Lottie has managed to get her claws into the leading role in Apex Pictures' A Thousand Ships too! Well, if Jack Gallo, the president of Apex Pictures, thinks Vivienne is going to play second fiddle to Lottie, he has another thing coming. However, before Vivienne can get off of Tavalli Island, where the picture is being filmed, she stumbles across something dangerous going on with the production. Even more horrifying is that the only one who can help Vivienne is the man- and scene-stealing Lottie. Alongside the madcap plot, this novel's fabulously fun icing on the cake is the friendship that develops between Vivienne and Lottie, which becomes almost a distaff version of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in their "Road" pictures. VERDICT Pass the popcorn and settle in for a terrific time with this seamlessly crafted blend of historical fiction and old-school suspense.--John Charles

        Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

      • Booklist

        October 15, 2024
        Author duo Kelly and Thorne (The Antiquity Affair, 2023) return with a new historical thriller set in 1950s Hollywood. Veteran actress Vivienne Rhodes is ecstatic to finally have a starring role as Helen of Troy, until she finds out that her archrival, Lottie Lawrence, is now in the lead role. But when Lottie discovers a dead body near the props shed and Vivienne is handed a mysterious film canister by a dying extra, they find themselves fleeing the island on the same boat, pursued by thugs on a desperate journey to deliver incriminating film to Interpol. After they crash a party at the palace in Monaco, hitch a ride to Rome in the back of a wine truck, and end up as extras on the set of Ben Hur, they finally come to appreciate each other's hidden talents. A fun, madcap romp through old Hollywood with an "enemies to besties" twist, this book will be a hit with fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid's The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (2019) and Ally Carter's The Blonde Identity (2023).

        COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

      • Publisher's Weekly

        Starred review from September 9, 2024
        Kelly and Thorne follow up The Antiquity Affair with a spry and suspenseful crime novel set just after Hollywood’s golden age. In 1958, the floundering Apex Studios is filming Trojan War saga A Thousand Ships on the tiny Italian island of Tavalli. Studio head Jack Gallo has assured Olympic swimmer–turned–actor Vivienne Rhodes that the project will make her “America’s Golden Girl.” She’s not pleased, therefore, when she arrives in Italy and learns rising star Lottie Lawrence has been cast as Helen of Troy, with Vivienne assigned the smaller role of Cassandra. Tempers flare, but the women put aside their animosity when they learn that mob-connected crew members have put the production in the crosshairs of violent gangsters. After Vivienne and Lottie stumble on evidence of the crew’s shady dealings, they’re targeted by Italian thugs, forcing them to flee first to Monaco and then to the Alps and Rome, with plans to deliver their findings to Interpol. Kelly and Thorne make a clichéd setup entirely their own, wringing surprising depth from Vivienne and Lottie’s mutual thawing without skimping on action or sumptuous descriptions of France and Italy. For movie buffs, this will be as welcome as a cool breeze on a hot day. Agent: Katelyn Detweiler, Jill Grinberg Literary.

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