A Moment in Crime
A Moment in Crime A Santa Fe Revival Mystery by Amanda Allen Crooked Lane Books Mystery & Thrillers Pub Date 21 Dec 2018
Review
If you enjoy historical mysteries, you will delight in Amanda Allen’s second suspenseful Santa Fe Revival mystery - A Moment in Crime. The shifting hues of the desert provide a stunning backdrop for this jazz age tale of ambition, betrayal, blackmail and murder.
Maddie’s cousin, Gwen Astor, ran away to Hollywood to become an actress, while Maddie settled in Santa Fe to paint and recover from her husband’s loss. Gwen arrives suddenly, exhausted and in tears, after a failed love affair with Luther Bishop, Hollywood director and notorious womanizer. Luther Bishop is filming a western epic in Santa Fe. Conflicts between the director and his cast and crew make filming a nightmare. Accidents plague the set. Then Luther is found hanging in his office, and Gwen is amongst the suspects.
The jazz age is a fascinating time period, for its social change and its artistic innovation. Acting is one of the areas where women could have ambitions - but few amongst the many aspiring starlets were successful, and many suffered abuse. A Moment in Crime offers readers an intriguing view of the movie making process as well as an interesting mystery. I particularly enjoyed the unique setting and the rich local color.
A Moment in Crime is an excellent historical mystery, beautifully composed, and filled with unique characters. It is easy to care about the compassionate Maddie and her many friends. I look forward to reading more of Amanda Allen’s Santa Fe Revival mysteries.
5 / 5
I received a copy of A Moment in Crime from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
— Crittermom
Description
Fans of Rhys Bowen will be abuzz over Amanda Allen’s second installment in her bold Santa Fe Revival mysteries. The on-set murder of a famous Jazz Age film director unearths a hornet’s nest of passion, duplicity, naked ambition, and bitter revenge. The golden age of cinema is dawning, and Santa Fe is in the grip of movie fever when director Luther Bishop arrives for the filming of his new cowboy flick. Maddie Vaughn-Alwin’s cousin Gwen Astor is in town with a bit part in the movie—but Gwen finds herself caught in a whirlwind of mischief before shooting even begins. But the plot only thickens when the detestable director is found hanging in his office. When it comes to light that Gwen was having a torrid affair with Luther, she gets pegged as the prime suspect, much to Maddie’s dismay. But Maddie, quick on her feet with ever the keen eye knows that Luther had his fair share of enemies, and there’s no shortage of contenders. Luther’s widowed wife Bridget finally assumes her late husband’s most-coveted director’s chair, head of wardrobe Lorelei Fontaine is bitterly denied a role by Luther she was once promised, and original leadingman Harry Kelly was summarily fired by Luther just upon arriving at Santa Fe. Desperate to prove Gwen’s innocence, Maddie begins an investigation, but every clue reveals another motive—and could point to another murder—in A Moment in Crime, the second engaging whodunit in Amanda Allen’s enchanting Santa Fe Revival mysteries.
