The familiar, patterned mesh of murder with Grace Latham finessed by Colonel Primrose (minus his shadow). A new setting however -- Hollywood and its environs; a story complicated by an accidental death, a faked attempt at suicide, by blackmail and hate and concealed identities. Extraneous incidents set the reader on unfair bypaths and the solution, inserting the main pieces into place, leaves too much to contrived coincidence and ignores a few loose bits. Not up to her customary slick competency, reads better as a novel than a murder-mystery.