Idle Gossip

This was a first for me from this author. I had no problem jumping into the middle of a series. I quickly grasped the various characters and their backstories. It’s an extremely well written novel drawing the reader into the story within the first few pages. The mystery itself is fun to follow and read and the plot kept my interest. Highly recommend for all mystery lovers!!!

Do you love Hollywood gossip? "Idle Gossip" by Renee Patrick, is a totally delightful book set among Hollywood's most glamorous stars (Clark Gable, Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor, Orson Wells, and Fred Astaire) in 1940.

In this mysterious whodunit, Lillian Frost and Edith Head try to solve the brutal murder of Glenn Hoyle. Lorna Whitcomb, local gossip columnist knows all the dirty secrets, lies, and intimate details of life in Hollywood. Her right hand man Sam Simone is suspected of Glenn's murder. He was "supposedly" the last one to see Glenn. Can you help Lillian and Edith solve this juicy scandalous crime?

Let's talk about the authors:
Renee Patrick is a pseudonym for the dynamic writing team Vince and Rosemarie Keenan. "Idle Gossip" is the 5th book in the "Lillian Frost and Edith Head Mystery" series. It will be published May 3rd.

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House, for the honor of reviewing this sizzling new book. It is a intriguing mystery and look back at glamorous Hollywood stars.

"Gossip columnist Lorna Whitcomb knows every dirty secret in Hollywood...except who killed her tipster. Sleuthing duo Lillian Frost and Edith Head investigate in this head-turning mystery.

1940, Los Angeles. Hollywood's famous gossip columnist, Lorna Whitcomb, has summoned Lillian Frost and her sleuthing partner, costume designer extraordinaire Edith Head, to her office. Lorna's 'leg man' Sam Simcoe - the man who finds the scandalous material for her column - is in trouble. Tipster Glenn Hoyle has been murdered, and Sam is the LAPD's only suspect. But Sam didn't just find Glenn's body when he paid him a visit. Hiding in a wastebasket was a list of three names - a starlet, a producer and a director - and Sam's sure Glenn had an explosive story on all of them. Was it just idle gossip, or could it explain his murder?

Lorna wants Edith and Lillian to find Glenn's killer before her powerful enemies strike. In a town full of secrets, Edith and Lillian must expose the dirtiest one of all: who killed Glenn Hoyle?"

ALWAYS here for Edith Head!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “Idle Gossip.” All opinions and comments are my own.

The antics of this week’s Oscars broadcast serve to highlight just one of the many themes in Renee Patrick’s latest Lillian Frost and Edith Head’s Hollywood whodunit, “Idle Gossip:” there ain’t many friends in Tinseltown. Because who killed the handy tipster, who fed Lorna Whitcomb, once coined “the nicest of all the Hollywood gossip columnists,” many of her best stories? The cops say it was her right hand “leg man”, ‘cause the dead guy wanted his job. Lorna says that’s impossible, and she wants Lillian and Edith to prove it -- or else nice goes out the window, doncha know.

Our story helpfully begins with a list of who’s who and what’s what, handy that; especially since this is quite the big cast of characters. And characters they are, in the author’s usual distinctive fashion.

Edith and Lillian are handed a list of four possible suspects, and begin their investigating. Because it involves their reputation, and the studio (Lorna can do a lot of damage if she wants to), they’re going to take this seriously, while of course doing a lot of visiting along the way. Oh, hello, Bing Crosby! And there’s Orson Welles. And lovely Barbara Stanwyck, who’s a hoot.

One mustn’t forget Lillian’s real job, as assistant to Addison Rice. In our story he’s busy trying to establish a Hollywood Museum, an “archive of movie history,” as he calls it. There’s some trouble brewing there, with a new character on the scene. It’ll be interesting to see how that plays out.

A trip to Del Mar Race Track gives us a chance to “visit” with more stars, and the track is the setting for everything to be figured out. Detective Glen Morrow (still interested in Lillian, apparently) is there to seal the deal for the L.A. coppers. Lorna gets her resolution, maybe not the one she was looking for, unfortunately, and it can’t be fixed in Post, but hey, that’s Hollywood for ya. But something good comes out of it all for Edith. Read “Idle Gossip,” and find out.

I should also mention the chapter headings are plot points for the drama in themselves, and keys to the town’s history. “Hollywood Babylon”, indeed.

An author’s note speaks to inspiration for the plot, including the real stories and people, and the Hollywood Museum idea, which has finally come to fruition. And throughout readers will get the usual name-dropping that is a staple of the series (this is #5). The husband-and-wife writing team has, as usual done their research. I read these books as much for the Hollywood history they present as for the mystery plotting they contain. Either way, they’re a treat.

Los Angeles 1940. Glenn Hoyle, gossip tipster for legman Sam Simcoe is discovered dead and Simcoe becomes the police prime suspect. His employee, gossip columnist Lorna Whitcomb 'asks' Lillian and Edith to prove him innocent. But was it something that Hoyle discovered that resulted in his death or his other occupation.
An entertaining, well-plotted and well-written historical mystery with its cast of diverse and mainly likeable characters. Another good addition to this series which can easily be read as a standalone story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Did some of the gossip Glen Hoyle collected get him killed? That's what the police, Sam Simcoe, and Lorna Whitcomb- the Queen of Gossip- all think but they differ on who did it. So Lorna hires Lillian Frost and Edith Head (yes, that Edith Head) to find the truth. It's 1940s Hollywood and there's gossip galore for Lillian and Edith to sort through. Even though they've been given a list of four people to look at, they know there's more to the story. This has a huge cast (huge) with cameos from all sorts of famous Hollywood types (I found myself periodically checking). It's a fun look behind the scenes and it's got some chuckle worthy scenes as well. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier books- this will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

Lillian Frost and Edith Head have been summoned to the office of famed gossip columnist Lorna Whitcomb. Her “leg man,” someone who goes out and gathers the gossip for her column, is the police’s prime suspect in the death of Glenn Hoyle, one of his sources. But Sam Simcoe says he is innocent and only found Glenn’s body. Lorna all but blackmails Lillian and Edith into helping clear Sam’s name of the crime. The pair intend to do as little as possible, focusing on the names on a list found in Glenn’s trashcan. Does one of those names hold the key to unraveling the murder?

As always, this was a great trip back in time to the Hollywood of 1940. Real people and fictional characters rub elbows on these pages. I suspect that a few more of the characters might be real people I just didn’t recognize, but I don’t mind since it helps keep the line between real and fictional blurry. And they are all great characters that kept me engaged. The plot is strong, with several revelations before we reach a surprising yet perfectly logical climax. If you enjoy old Hollywood, this series is a must read, but anyone who appreciates a great mystery will be glad they picked it up.

I havent read anything by this author before and I didn't realise that this was a series so I read it as a standalone and it worked really well. Well written with an interesting and suspenseful storyline and well developed characters. I am definitely going to go back and read the series from the beginning.

Many thanks to #NetGalley for an ARC of the newest Lillian Frost and Edith Head Mystery #IdleGossip! While the first in the series is still my fav, this holds a close second. All of the glitz & glamour of 1940s Hollywood is still on display and we get even more substance to Lillian & Edith. This one is a solid 'who-dun-it' style mystery complete with the required suspects, red herrings, and enough clues to keep everyone guessing with murders, drug dealers, rumor & gossip. Highly recommend this whole series to fans of classic Hollywood.

If you are a lover of all the Hollywood glamour of the 30's and 40's you are in for a delicious treat.

A delightful murder mystery set around the intoxicating world of the movie studios at the height of their glitzy reign over Los Angeles and centered around the fall of a flamboyant and very nasty gossip columnist.

I really enjoyed this terrific novel from start to finish with its dazzling cast of fictional and non fictional characters, its SOCAL atmosphere, its fabulous dialogues full of "bitchy" repartees and fabulous details about the dazzlingly superficial life of Tinseltown at the beginning of WWII.

Murderous shenanigans, greed, ambition, jealousy, treason & lies are some of the ingredients you will find in this unforgettable brew of human weaknesses...

A Californian cocktail that deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this fabulous ARC

Edith Head and Lilian Frost's historical Hollywood adventures keep going from strength to strength! Particularly as war in Europe approaches. This one goes inside the machinery of golden age Hollywood gossip – a cutthroat ecosystem headed by warring columnists Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons. Delighted to include it in ‘Lives Lived,’ my recent round-up for Zoomer magazine’s Books section highlighting new and notable historical novels (see mini-review at link)

Witty, and adept characterisations - entertaining and appropriate to the time and place - Hollywood in its great heyday - the pair, Edith and Lillian had solved a crime in an earlier novel/time and so they are sought out by a gossip columnist to help out one of her chief informants/snoops who is under suspicion for a crime. Dialogue is great fun, and the ambient is well presented - with subtle irony that the characters are not aware of - and, added attraction: I really wanted to know who did it … I am going to look for the first novel, and hope more are coming. ..

Idle Gossip is the 5th historical Hollywood mystery featuring amateur sleuths Lillian Frost & Edith Head by Renee Patrick. Released 3rd May 2022 by Severn House, it's 224 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. 

These are exceptionally well written historical mysteries which are engaging and entertaining. The gossip and intrigue between actors/actresses/studios/and luminaries of the golden age of "talkies" fairly leap off the page. The author has an excellent grasp of plotting and storytelling and the action flows smoothly. I didn't find my interest wandering and I wasn't yanked out of the story once by clunky or incomplete dialogue. The fictional story is woven so skillfully around a framework of actual historical events and people, that it's not always clear where truth shades into fiction.

Despite not being fast friends with gossip columnist Lorna, Edith & Lillian are prevailed upon to look into a murder which Lorna's assistant Sam is suspected of. Everyone has dirty secrets they don't want to see the light of day, and it's Edith & Lillian's job to figure out what they're hiding, whether it's relevant, and who's actually responsible for the murder. 

The mystery is self contained in this volume and it works very well as a standalone. The entire series is excellent, however, and highly recommended. With 5 books extant in the series, it would make an good choice for a binge/buddy read. 

Four and a half stars. Well worth a read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.