Book Review: A Perilous Premiere (Stone & Steele Mysteries, #1) by Gail Meath

A Perilous Premiere by Gail Meath
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fun and frothy and a solid murder mystery to boot!

A Perilous Premiere is the first book in author Gail Meath’s fun and frothy yet seriously solid mystery series, Stone & Steele Mysteries, and this name-dropper of a murder mystery sets a delightful tone for what’s to come. After fashion designer Vivian Steele’s husband, George Ramsey, is gunned down before her very eyes in an assumed robbery gone wrong, she naturally looks to the police for answers. However, they show no interest in trying to find the murderer after an initial, lame attempt, so she decides to call in old favors from people in her past to reignite the investigation. While her actions yield results, they don’t supply the answers she was looking for nor the revenge she craves, and before she can regroup, another murder occurs with evidence planted to make her look like the killer.

Vivian is a sweet and talented woman with a smart mind and an even smarter mouth. She berates herself emotionally for having been blissfully unaware when her husband’s true nature comes to light. Still, she’s compelled to bring his murderer to justice. She is joined by wealthy playboy Preston Stone who is investigating the case of an unbelievably valuable coin collection, and Vivian’s husband is one of the small number of possible suspects.

The plot is fast-paced as the pair, first separated and eventually as an unwilling team, follow up on the few clues they uncover during their investigation, some of which are lifted straight out of the crime scene before the police make an appearance. The case of theft and then murder is full of twists sprinkled with the sightings of celebrities from the early Golden Age of Hollywood. (Viv’s best friend is Carole Lombard!) The author packs in historical figures and events with those of a more fictional vintage, and the fun mingling of fact and fiction really makes the book a lot of fun. But along with the fun and froth, there is one heck of a good, complex tale of murder, mayhem, and misdirection.

I recommend A PERILOUS PREMIERE to readers of historical cozy mysteries, especially those who enjoy old movies and Hollywood history.

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