Stars in the Night

Title: STARS IN THE NIGHT
Author: Cara C. Putman
Publisher: Summerside Press
July 2010
ISBN: 978-1-60936-011-5
Genre: Inspirational/historical/romantic suspense

Audra Shaeffer has just landed her first chance to go to court as an attorney. But then her sister, Rosemary, fails to make a phone call home from Hollywood. Worried, Audra talks her parents into allowing her to go to Hollywood to see if Rosemary is okay. She throws away her chance to work as an attorney and buys a ticket to Hollywood.

Robert Garfield is a B-list actor. He dreams of making it to the big time, but it seems unlikely, even though his ex-wife is making great strides. He agrees to jump through the hoops his agent demands, but it seems unlikely any of them will work.

Robert and Audra are attracted when they meet, but Audra puts Robert off to find her sister. Unfortunately, her sister has been murdered…and now Audra wants to solve the murder. She joins a Hollywood Victory Caravan to get to know those who knew Rosemary best—the stars. But is Audra flirting with her life?

Set during WWII, STARS IN THE NIGHT focuses on the movie stars, the ones who went to sell war bonds to the American public, those that are struggling to make it in the dog-eat-dog world of Hollywood. STARS IN THE NIGHT doesn’t set a pretty or glamorous picture of a struggling movie star in the 1940s. Small apartments, working at unattractive jobs, and other things that those desperate to succeed did in order to get a small chance at a part in a movie. Ms. Putman obviously did her research on what it took…or even takes…to break in there.

The suspense is immediate, from the moment the book starts in the prologue. I had to keep reading to figure out who did it, though I had my suspicions early on. I wanted to see if I was right. Audra and Robert are realistic characters, hurting and flawed, though struggling to do what is right. If you like historical suspense, then don’t miss STARS IN THE NIGHT. $12.99. 354 pages.