R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on 2/6/2022 + 1440 more book reviews

Maggie arrives in Hollywood in July 1943 with high expectations to what seems to be a world of wonder and magic. After leading a self-destructive life in London, Maggie is ready for sun and fun. Yet America, like England, is fighting WWII. The trip was prompted by a request from her friend and former fiancee, John Sterling. Grounded from flying, he is in Hollywood writing screen plays and articles, doing his bit against the enemies When his fiancee drowns in a hotel pool, John does not believe it was an accident. Would Maggie investigate?

Maggie finds that America is not the country of her childhood or that depicted by wartime propaganda. On one level there is a feeling of 'we're all in this together.' On another, divisions among Americans widen. Hate groups merge into the Ku Klux Klan wanting to remove black and Jewishcitizens, soldiers or not.. Maggie finds segregation everywhere she goes.

Staying with her friend, Sarah Sanderson, a ballet dancer who was recruited for a movie, she enjoys time with John. He works for Walt Disney on propaganda films and gives young airman flying lessons.

The novel is one of the best in this series. Combining a complex and unsavory history of Hollywood during wartime with entertainment industry and a murder mystery makes for stimulating reading. And, research was extensive with a pages of references listed at the close. Great read!

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