The Jean Harlow Bombshell is a very good first installment in what looks like an interesting series. Charlotte is an assistant to a famous author of celebrity bios. When the author is murdered suspicion moves quickly to many "kooks" who are stirred up by the work in progress which Charlotte is working to finish - a Biography on Jean Harlow.

The writing is excellent. From the first pages I was taken in by the writer's style and it quickly became a page turner. What was lacking a bit for me was the plotting. At some point in the latter half it bogged down a bit, and I felt that the writer was merely upping a page count. The conclusion was good, but ultimately not in line with the journey that it took to get there. Some further editing would have smoothed the story out a bit. For instance the main character has Lyme Disease and this is mentioned ad nauseaum in the first 24 chapters. I wanted to scream "okay...I get it!"

Regardless of my negative thoughts, I was all in all satisfied with this work; enough so that I look forward to the next installment!

This was a really interesting mix of pure crime fiction and a literary love letter. The actual set up to the murder and the way the characters were built up was done very well. I liked the style of writing as it was really engrossing and I flew through the book needing to know what happened next. I'm not sure if I would continue with this if it was a series but as a one off, it was a fun and easy read.

This book was unique in that the protagonist has Lyme disease which added a different dimension to the story. It is about Charlotte Donovan who works for a famous biographer of movie stars, but alas the biographer dies in the first chapter and Charlotte must unravel the many unsolved mysteries and issues. The story is interesting and certainly held my interest. There were many twists and turns in the plot and one is never sure what is going on or what will happen next. Should Charlotte trust the policeman or is he one of the antagonists. characters turn up in droves children at a free ice cream truck and it is up to Charlotte (and the reader) to sort the good from the bad and the nonessential. In the end it is all sorted out and the ending is quite satisfying but I still felt as if something were a bit off, too many MacGuffins perhaps. That being said I was engaged in the book and would certainly read another by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I thought that this book was a highly entertaining start to a new mystery series. There was fun and enjoyable characters, some romance, a great location and a complex murder mystery.
I would definitely read the next book in the series.

The Jean Harlow Bombshell is a unique and entertaining read. The characters are likeable. It's just a fun story to read, especially if you like old movies.

All I can say after reading this is WOW. I was a fan of this author before, but this book takes me to new levels of awe. I loved everything about this story, the characters, the mystery, and the whole plot was so different and unique, I just couldn't get enough. I will read this series as quick as the author can churn them out.

I have been debating on how to put my review into words.....I was excited to be able to read this because I love the TCM channel and the amazing stars of the 30's and 40's. The concept of this book is very interesting but it needs so much editing that I would happily read this book again once it's out on shelves. I know that we aren't supposed to comment like that because it's an ARC but I have to because it made the book so confusing at times that it was hard to read. I like Charlotte and Kate and they make a great team as best friends. The thing that drove me nuts about the book was yes, Charlotte has Lyme disease but we don't need to be reminded of this on nearly every single page because it's not necessary. My single factual complaint is that the police and/or coroner would NEVER let some biography writer take photos of a deceased person in the morgue who hasn't even been identified yet. The author who is new to me did a really good job of incorporating fiction and fact especially since Jean Harlow has been dead for over 80 years. The end wasn't bad and I kind of assume that Charlotte will be back in the next book since it seems this will be a series. Thank you Net Galley for introducing me to a new series that has amazing potential in the future and I look forward to reading whatever comes next.