The Silver Blonde

Elizabeth Ross

Jul 2021 · Penguin Random House Audio · Kuchazwe ngu-Elizabeth Ross ne-Lisa Flanagan

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For fans of Ruta Septys and Monica Hesse comes a lush historical mystery set in post-World War II America against the flashy backdrop of Hollywood's film studios about a shocking murder that threatens to unearth the ghosts of a young German immigrant's past.

Hollywood, 1946. The war is over, and eighteen-year-old Clara Berg spends her days shelving reels as a vault girl at Silver Pacific Studios, with all her dreams pinned on getting a break in film editing. That and a real date with handsome yet unpredictable screenwriter Gil. But when she returns a reel of film to storage one night, Clara stumbles across the lifeless body of a woman in Vault 5. The costume, the makeup, the ash-blond hair are unmistakable--it has to be Babe Bannon, A-list star. And it looks like murder.

Suddenly Clara's world is in free-fall, her future in movies upended--not to mention that her refugee parents are planning to return to Germany and don't want her to set foot on the studio lot again. As the Silver Blonde murder ignites Tinseltown, rumors and accusations swirl. The studio wants a quick solve, but the facts of the case keep shifting. Nothing is what it seems—not even the victim.

Clara finds herself drawn, inevitably, to the murder investigation, and the dark side of Hollywood. But how far is she willing to go to find the truth?

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Elizabeth Ross is the author of Belle Epoque, a finalist for both the William C. Morris Award and the California Book Award. Her career working as a film editor in Los Angeles inspired her second novel, The Silver Blonde. Originally from Scotland, she lives with her family on the coast of British Columbia, Canada. To learn more about Elizabeth and her works, visit her at elizabethross.com or follow @RossElizabeth on Twitter and @elizarosswrites on Instagram.