CHASING STARLIGHT

In 1938 Hollywood, an aspiring astronomer with a tragic past finds herself at the center of a murder mystery.

Kate Hildebrand was only 13 when a highly publicized crime took her parents’ lives, leaving her in the care of her Aunt Lorna. After her aunt’s marriage to a wealthy mining magnate, Kate, now 17, is shipped off to live with her eccentric grandfather Oliver Banks, a once-celebrated silent movie star who shares his crumbling, cluttered Pasadena mansion with a handful of boarders, all down-and-out aspiring actors. It’s not an ideal arrangement, but Kate’s plan to make a quick exit is thwarted when she meets Ollie’s neighbors: 15-year-old film ingénue Bonnie Fairchild and her glamorous mother, Dorothy. In short order, Kate snags a job as a production assistant on Bonnie’s new film and finds herself undeniably attracted to the dashing Hugo Quick, one of her new housemates. When Kate discovers another housemate dead in Ollie’s kitchen, Kate and Hugo team up to find a killer. But everyone seems to be hiding secrets, including Kate. Black delivers an atmospheric mystery with cinematic flair that’s chock full of period detail, highlighting women’s roles in front of, and behind, the camera during Hollywood’s golden age. And the brainy Kate, determined to control her own destiny, is no wilting flower. Most characters are assumed white, but there are two supporting characters of color.

A captivating crowd pleaser.