Murder, movie stars, and mystery await those who climb aboard this cross-country train, inspired by the real-life history of the Hollywood Victory Caravan.
Hollywood, 1942. Jacqueline Love's acting career is flailing. Suddenly on the wrong side of 40, parts are drying up, directors are calling her "difficult," and Humphrey Bogart has definitely stopped taking her calls. Desperate to cling to stardom, Jackie takes the only gig that will have her: the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a train full of movie stars crossing the country to fundraise for the war effort. Jackie wouldn't call herself patriotic, but with her life's work on the line, she'll do anything.
When a fellow star dies on board, everyone assumes the death was a tragic accident-but Jackie isn't so sure. Stuck in Chicago's Union Station, Jackie enlists the help of Grace, one of the few women in the police force, to investigate. But "difficult" outside of a movie set is dangerous, and when the pair fall into a homegrown Nazi scheme, Jackie must ask herself what's more important: her career, or her country?
Hollywood, 1942. Jacqueline Love's acting career is flailing. Suddenly on the wrong side of 40, parts are drying up, directors are calling her "difficult," and Humphrey Bogart has definitely stopped taking her calls. Desperate to cling to stardom, Jackie takes the only gig that will have her: the Hollywood Victory Caravan, a train full of movie stars crossing the country to fundraise for the war effort. Jackie wouldn't call herself patriotic, but with her life's work on the line, she'll do anything.
When a fellow star dies on board, everyone assumes the death was a tragic accident-but Jackie isn't so sure. Stuck in Chicago's Union Station, Jackie enlists the help of Grace, one of the few women in the police force, to investigate. But "difficult" outside of a movie set is dangerous, and when the pair fall into a homegrown Nazi scheme, Jackie must ask herself what's more important: her career, or her country?
“A clever whodunit with Agatha Christie vibes, a splash of gin, and all the sparkle and glamour of the Golden Age of cinema. Expertly weaving Hollywood and WWII history into a mysterious murder on a train, James has penned a page-turning novel with fascinating characters, starting with the abrasive, yet witty, heroine Jacqueline Love, a once famous now struggling actress who the reader won’t be able to help but root for, and her partner in crime, a female detective trying to climb out of the box her misogynist boss put her in. I absolutely adored this novel, and the twist at the end was one I didn’t see coming!”
―Eliza Knight, USA Today and international bestselling author of Confessions of a Grammar Queen
"What do you get when you cross a WWII-era historical novel, the heyday of Hollywood, a Nazi spy ring, and a rip-roaring whodunnit? You have an engrossing story that you will not be able to tear yourself away from until the last stiletto drops. Sarah James weaves an intricate plot, with plenty of twists and turns…a juicy read, indeed."
―Tracey Enerson Wood, International and USA Today bestselling author of Katharine, the Wright Sister, The President’s Wife, The War Nurse, and The Engineer’s Wife
―Eliza Knight, USA Today and international bestselling author of Confessions of a Grammar Queen
"What do you get when you cross a WWII-era historical novel, the heyday of Hollywood, a Nazi spy ring, and a rip-roaring whodunnit? You have an engrossing story that you will not be able to tear yourself away from until the last stiletto drops. Sarah James weaves an intricate plot, with plenty of twists and turns…a juicy read, indeed."
―Tracey Enerson Wood, International and USA Today bestselling author of Katharine, the Wright Sister, The President’s Wife, The War Nurse, and The Engineer’s Wife