Salma's sister was murdered, and she's convinced that Tawney's ex-fiance killed her. Now, 20 years later, Cal is making a movie about Tawney's life (and death), and the star of the movie turns up dead...in Tawney's pool, with Salma finding her as she caps off the dead celebrity tours she now does. Salma is determined to prove Cal killed Tawney, and the movie's star, too, but will the truth implicate Cal, or dig up long buried secrets instead?

This book was amazing! I couldn't put it down, I read it in 2 days. I needed to find out who killed Tawney, sympathized with poor Salma, the screw up who couldn't seem to do anything right in the shadow of her dead, perfect sister. The writing was well paced, keeping you on the edge of your seat almost the entire time, the twists and turns coming almost at breakneck speed at the end.

If you love books about Hollywood drama, this is one you'll need to pick up. You'll love it!

"The Hurricane Blonde" captures the essence of a gritty mystery infused with the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. Halley Sutton crafts a vivid portrait of a protagonist fighting against a tide of deception, drawing readers into the intrigue with every twist and turn. As Salma confronts the ghosts of her past, the novel's pacing accelerates, immersing readers in a whirlwind of suspense, emotion, and unexpected revelations.

In conclusion, "The Hurricane Blonde" is a triumph in suspenseful storytelling, offering readers a front-row seat to the alluring yet perilous world of fame and deception. Halley Sutton's nuanced character development and intricate plotting create a thrilling narrative that explores the lengths one woman will go to uncover the truth. With its compelling blend of mystery, drama, and a touch of noir, this novel stands as a gripping testament to the allure and dangers of Hollywood's hidden depths.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons for this advanced copy

The unsolved Murder of Tawney Lowe, trying to come to peace with the past, family secrets, and Salma Lowe’s failed Hollywood career. DRAMA!

There were a lot of moving parts to this one all being narrated by Salma. You get her trauma surrounding her sisters unsolved murder, the second murder victim she bears witness to, her job at the tourist company after a failed acting career, her past struggles with drugs and alcohol, and her obsession with her sisters ex-fiancé and now, “boss”. For as much as there was going on, I felt like this was an extremely slow moving story with lots of detail but little action. I enjoyed the premise of the story, but disliked the open-ending and had a hard time connecting to any of the characters.

Overall it was a good book, just not my usual go to in terms of a murder mystery. Overall I’d say, add it to your TBR because it’s still a good story and judge for yourself!

Thank you to netgalley and Putnam for the copy of this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A Hollywood who-done -it following Hollywood former starlet Salma as she continues to look into what happened to her sister Tawney. A part of Hollywood royalty, the story captures the things the agents and the press try to cover up. Unfortunately, all the twists play out predictably and the story tends to overuse metaphors for the Hollywood grittiness. All the characters felt a little too cliche . At times, I wanted to say I get it Salma you hate Hollywood but she never took any steps to separate herself from it or her long standing family.

If you enjoy soapy type dialogue set in Hollywood as a medium paced thriller with an open ending and unlikeable protoganist, you will likely enjoy this. Having no like-able characters isn’t a plot I typically enjoy.

I was totally drawn to this fantastic cover and the premise that a down on her luck former Hollywood starlet gets drawn back into the dark side of show business when she finds a dead body in her dead sister's pool. Unfortunately I did not love the narrator (she felt very monotonous and it made for a difficult to enjoy audio experience).

I also felt the story was EXTREMELY slow moving. It felt like it took forever for anything interesting to happen after the dead body is discovered. I forced myself to finish this one but regret not DNFing earlier. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Hurricane Blonde is the first book I've read by Halley Sutton and it was so incredibly hard to put down! The cover is absolutely stunning.

An unsolved murder, old Hollywood royalty, hidden family secrets, and drama, oh my! I very much enjoyed reading this from Salma's POV. The suspense and plot were crazy good. I loved the transition between past and present. I look forward to whatever Halley Sutton writes next!!
Don't miss out on reading one of the most anticipated thrillers this summer!

I love books like this! The insight to lives of those in Hollywood always interests me. This is a fast paced read.

The Hurricane Blonde
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
By Hailey Sutton
Publication Date: 8/8/23

More than 20 years later, Salma still searches for answers about her sister Tawney’s murder. Salma’s family is a big family in Hollywood. Her mom, dad, sister, godfather, and even Salma herself were famous actors though Salma is better known as “Sloppy Salma” as an adult. Two stints in rehab and many embarrassing moments that made the tabloids, shape Salma’s life. When Salma hears Tawney’s Director ex boyfriend, who she thinks murdered Tawney’s, is making a movie about Tawney’s death, Salma plants herself in the middle of set in search of answers.

I found this book to be a little cringey, drug out, and I was left with loose ends. Every character was super unlikeable. It was overall a good mystery though. And… I loved how the Hollywood movie scene was front and center. Can you say “Evelyn Hugo vibes?”

The Hurricane Blonde would make a great movie.

Favorite quote: “You’re only as sick as your secrets.” 😳

Favorite character: None 🤦‍♀️
Steamy rating: Cold 🥶
Profanity: Mild 😇
How I discovered: Bookstagram 🖥️
Method: ARC via NetGalley Kindle 📱

Triggers: Infidelity, murder, rape, & substance abuse.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I found "The Hurricane Blonde" by Halley Sutton to be an addictive, interesting, twisty, dark & well written mystery/thriller that pulled me in right away & didn't let me go until its final page.
I loved the Hollywood backstory that ran throughout.
I loved the book's cover.
I will be on the lookout for Ms. Sutton's next book.

What a read!!! I absolutely loved this one. If you love thrillers I highly recommend it. I gasped at all the secrets. 👏👏👏👏 to Sutton for keep my attention throughout the story. The characters, her writing. ♥️♥️♥️

I love a good celebrity based drama and throw in a murder and I am sold. This was an entertaining read about the industry along with family and work drama. Former child star Salma has had her share of problems and is currently driving tourists around Hollywood, specifically where actresses have met their untimely deaths. One of those actresses was her sister, Tawney, also known as the “Hurricane Blonde” for her off-camera antics. Salma is soon forced back into the world she gave up when her sister’s killer (who was never caught btw), may have killed again.

This was a quick and entertaining read that kept me guessing most of the way through. There were a lot of twists in here that kept the story interesting, and I loved the Hollywood backstory that ran throughout. Salma was a hot mess and I sure was rooting for her the entire time. The pacing was steady and I enjoyed listening to this both on audio (which was great) and following along with the ebook.

Thank you to Putnam Books, Thriller Book Lovers Promotions, and PRH Audio for the copies to review.

It took me a bit to warm up to the main character, and I never really felt like I connected with her but, ultimately, I quite enjoyed this book. Salma Lowe is the daughter of Hollywood royalty and a former child star who's addictions earned her the nickname "Sloppy Salma" in her late teens, after she found her older sister Tawney murdered. Twenty years later, Salma still thinks Tawney's ex-fiance (now a famous director) got away with murder, and when he is linked to the death of another starlet, another body Salma is the one to find, she decides it's up to her to keep him from doing it again, even if it means revealing long buried secrets. Well plotted, with twists I did and didn't see coming, and while I am not one of them, readers who like endings that wrap up every possible loose end may come away unsatisfied.

Thank you to Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC! I’m a sucker for a Hollywood based story, and this was no different. Loved reading this book and highly recommend to anyone else who likes to be immersed in Hollywood scandal!

Salma Lowe was once a child star, born into Hollywood royalty, but her acting career ended after she suffered a public fall from grace in the wake of her sister Tawney's murder in the mid-1990s. Tawney Lowe, a young actress on the path to stardom, was strangled by her pool, and her killer was never found. Now, Salma gives Six Feet Under tours around Hollywood, driving tourists greedy for the macabre to locations where starlets met their ends. She's just trying to stay under the radar, stay sober, and stay out of trouble. But Salma is thrust right back into the seediness of Hollywood when a dead body is discovered on one of her tours -- at the very house where Tawney was killed.

In The Hurricane Blonde, Halley Sutton explores the grittier side of Hollywood -- the rot that remains long after the veneer of glitz and glamor have been washed away. This is a dark and daring noir thriller about destructive secrets, dysfunctional relationships, and the drawbacks of fame. The narrative is Salma's first-person point-of-view, and well, our girl is kiiind of a mess -- but she's always trying to be better, which makes her easy to relate to and sympathize with. Sutton's writing kept me riveted as Salma worked through some hard truths and fought for her own redemption. Sutton also makes some overt, important points about post-#MeToo-era Hollywood, where things are "better," but not really better, because awful men are still doing awful things and getting away with it for the sake of their so-called "genius" and their art.

As far as the thriller aspect goes, The Hurricane Blonde definitely hits the mark. It's well-plotted and well-paced, with some surprising, thoughtful, complex twists that call up questions about morality and loyalty. If you enjoy books about the dark side of fame and the shady side of Hollywood, I think you'll enjoy this as much as I did. Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for the early reading opportunity.

Salma Lowe, from a prominent Hollywood family and former child star, now earns a living driving a tour bus featuring murdered actors. All she wants to do is solve the murder of her older sister who was killed 20 years ago. On one of her tour stops, she discovers a woman floating in a pool-the very same pool where her sister died. Salma feels there’s a connection but the investigators don’t see it so Salma continues to put the pieces together. In doing so, she learns disturbing information about her own family.

I love the twists in this story and seeing the dark side of Hollywood. Some of the twists I saw coming but they were written so well! I also loved the way the author made the characters multi-dimensional showing their lives beyond the screen.

Getting on a tour bus in Hollywood called Six Feet Under would definitely be intriguing, but I would rather read about it than drive by the scene of the crime. It was surprising to me that Salma would want to relive seeing her deceased sister's house every day especially since the case was unsolved, but to each their own.

I had a hunch who the killer was early on just by the way they were described, but I wasn’t ready for all the dirty secrets involving Salma’s family, and who covered what up!

This one releases on Tuesday so don’t miss out!

thriller, suspense, mystery, obsession, lies, deception, murder, actors, Hollywood, sisters, alcohol-issues, gossip, TV/film-industry, grieving, grief****

If you are into Hollywood and all that glitz and imagination you'll love this peek into the world of disposable females. I viewed it as more satire than mystery, but probably that's just me. The writing was good and the characters well explored.
I requested and received an EARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons via NetGalley. Thank you!

For the Better part of the book, Salma is obsessed with her older sister’s life and murder and lives in her shadow. Even her job is hawking dead starlets and she puts her sister’s murder on the tour. I had a hard time grappling with that since why would she exploit it?
When the answers finally begin taking shape, it’s a web of lies and deceit that is drawn tight.
While the story line was decent, it’s a book in which I didn’t like any of the main characters.
However the caricatures were in line with what you would expect to find in the land of pretend and fakery.

The cover of this book!😍

Hurricane Blonde by Halley Sutton is a mystery that takes place in Hollywood. Our main character is Salma, who is the child of Hollywood royalty and a former child star herself. She is also a recovering addict, ten years sober. She drives a tour bus, visiting locations of the deaths of Hollywood dead girls and telling their stories to tourists. One of these dead girls is her sister, Tawney, who drowned in own her pool. Salma, age 15, was the one to find her body. While stopping at that location on the tour, Salma finds another dead girl. Who is she and what is her connection to Salma’s dead sister? Salma, who still isn’t over her sister’s mysterious death, takes it upon herself to find out.

This one wasn’t exactly what I expected. I thought it was going to be a thriller and it was more mystery with a lot of drama. You have the glitz and glam of old Hollywood woven in with the darker side. The Hollywood aspect was fascinating in itself, but what I really didn’t expect was the more fascinating narrative of how expendable women and girls are. I think this is a very important part of the story and what stuck with me the most. Who is more important? A man and his reputation/legacy? Or a young girl caught up in his web? We all know what the answer should be, but sadly, that isn’t usually the case.

If you are intrigued by Hollywood and love a good mystery, you will love this book. There are many references to iconic places which make an otherwise dark tale a little fun.

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this thriller! Salma is a broken character that you really root for and I loved all the old Hollywood references. I read this twice as fast as I was planning to because I was so eager to see what happened next. If you are intrigued by Hollywood tragedies (Marilyn Monroe, Natalie Wood, the Black Dahlia, etc), be sure to check this one out!