Death Was in the Picture

A Mystery

Linda L. Richards

Minotaur/Thomas Dunne Books

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In 1931, while most of Los Angeles is struggling to survive the Depression, the business of Hollywood is booming. And everyone wants a piece. The movies have always been cutthroat and, as girl Friday Kitty Pangborn is about to find out, that’s more than a metaphor.

Kitty’s boss, private detective Dexter Theroux, has been asked to help leading man Laird Wyndham prove his innocence. The actor was the last person to be seen with a young actress who died under very suspicious circumstances, and the star has fallen from the big screen to the big house. Wyndham’s a dreamboat, but that isn’t the only thing that has Kitty hot under the collar. Dex has already signed a client---one who’s hired him to prove Wyndham’s hands are not as clean as they look.

Mixing Hollywood glitz with hard-boiled grit, Death Was in the Picture captures the essence of life in Depression-era Los Angeles: a world where times are tough, talk is cheap, and murder is often just one scene away.

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Praise for Death Was in the Picture

Praise for Death Was the Other Woman:

“For something really snappy---a dandy, old-school, hard-boiled detective story, told from the point of view of a tough PI’s equally tough secretary---go no further than Linda L. Richards’s Death Was the Other Woman.” --Seattle Times

“Richards’s spot-on portrayal of 1930s California---the tumultuous social and political atmosphere, the fashions, the vernacular---make this a must-read for palookas, mooks, and twists with enough spondulix to spare for some rip-roaring, hard-boiled literary escapism.” --The Chicago Tribune

“Honoring the noir tradition while turning it on its head, Richards’s richly detailed period portrays a world in which lifestyles, whether high or low, become an elaborate defense against a harsh environment in which there is only one final act, and the trick is to determine the time the curtain falls.” --Booklist

“This is a great period piece with action aplenty and nostalgia-evoking characters. Kitty is a delight, and fans of Megan Abbott’s noir crime novels will enjoy it.” --Library Journal

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Ashley  rated it  
Mar 25, 2010
This book was so much fun! Loved the setting, loved the characters, loved the mystery, loved everything. A sort of hard-boiled detective novel turned on its head, with the secretary as the protagonist-cum-sleuth. Kitty Pangborn is delightful and bright and determined, Dex (the actual PI) is handsome ...more
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Eric  rated it  
May 28, 2009
Hollywood was in transition back in 1931. The movies were talking and the Hays Office was pushing for censorship. People in Los Angeles were scrambling to stay alive, figuratively and literally. It didn't matter if you were the biggest star on the lot, or an aging starlet, the best anyone could hope ...more
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Cindi  rated it  
Mar 16, 2010
I love how Richards recreates Los Angeles in the 1930's. The dialog and historical details are a lot of fun. But the mystery in this book was not very engaging. I had the big surprise figured out soon after meeting the falsely accused in prison (Laird, a Hollywood heartthrob). Some of the political ...more
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About the Author

Linda L. Richards

Linda L. Richards is the editor and cofounder of January magazine (www.januarymagazine.com) and a regular contributor to The Rap Sheet (therapsheet.blogspot.com). She lives near Vancouver.

Linda L. Richards

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Linda L. Richards

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Available Formats and Book Details

Death Was in the Picture
A Mystery
Linda L. Richards

Hardcover

Hardcover
St. Martin's Press
Minotaur/Thomas Dunne Books
January 2009
Hardcover
ISBN: 9780312383398
ISBN10: 0312383398
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 288 pages
$24.95

e-Book Agency

Learn more about this edition
e-Book Agency
St. Martin's Press
Minotaur/Thomas Dunne Books
January 2009
e-Book Agency
ISBN: 9781429988162
ISBN10: 1429988169
5 1/2 x 8 1/4 inches, 288 pages
$6.99
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