CITY OF MIRRORS

The powerful father of a young leading lady motivates an older actress to stretch her talents to investigating.

Still reeling from the death of her mother last week, Diana Poole tries to maintain a professional face at work, though she feels that she’s the only one. Young actress Jenny Parson is being a bit of a nightmare on set, and Diana’s director encourages her to befriend Jenny in hopes that some of Diana’s professionalism will rub off on her. Diana, who chose her marriage to Colin above her career, is perfectly happy, now that Colin is dead, to showcase her talent even if she’s too old to play leading ladies. Difficult as Jenny is for Diana to work with, she’s much more difficult to deal with when Diana finds her hastily disposed corpse. Though they weren’t close, Diana becomes embroiled in finding out who killed Jenny. Her quest is simultaneously helped and hindered by Hollywood fixer Leo Heath and by continuing, strong threats from Jenny’s powerful and far-reaching father. Diana is determined to get to the truth in a town built on smoke and mirrors, even if it means shattering a few of the mirrors in her own life.

Howe (Beauty Dies, 1994, etc.) creates a Hollywood where no one can be trusted, with much of the action taking the form of mob-rooted violence.