Hollywood Mystery: Book 1
Publication Date: June 6, 2023
Perfect for fans of Elle Cosimano and Nita Prose, when Hollywood costumer Joey Jessop stumbles across a dead body near the set of a big budget movie, she must find ways to protect her career—and herself—before it’s too late.
Joey Jessop enjoys working behind the scenes. As key costumer for the next epic superhero movie, her role is to make others look good while staying out of the spotlight. That means making sure to be professional around Eli Logan, her ex and the First Assistant Director, and Courtney Lisle, Eli’s newest love interest and the Second Assistant Director. But this isn’t a problem for Joey—especially when the movie is shooting at a gorgeous Malibu location.
All of that changes when Joey finds Courtney’s dead body on the first day of principal photography and she soon becomes the primary suspect. When the press takes hold of the story and social media begins to run with it, Joey watches her well-ordered life behind the scenes become front and center for all to see. But that isn’t even the worst of it. In the midst of this newfound and unfortunate stardom, she must also contend with the reckless behavior of the movie’s predatory director and producer, Marcus Pray, who seems driven to continue his practice of making another blockbuster hit while making sure his crew endures a toxic and potentially lethal work environment. As a result, Joey finds herself embattled both personally and professionally.
With tensions building on set and a murder investigation looming over her life and future, Joey takes it upon herself to clear her name. Will she be able to expose the truth before it’s a wrap?
I’m always on the lookout for new cozy mystery series to try. And if the hook of the series is also something new to me, well, I’m hooked to at least give it a try. So, when I came across Final Cut by Majorie McCown with a Hollywood theme, I knew I needed to read this first book in the series.
Final Cut follows Joey, a costume designer in Hollywood. She’s working on a new mega-superhero movie when things start going wrong. Very quickly into the production, an assistant director is found dead, and Joey is one of the prime suspects. Between feeling the police aren’t doing their job, being stalked by the paparazzi, and being harassed via social media, Joey finds herself investigating the murder.
I liked Joey. She’s a likeable character, friendly but naive, which seemed at odds for working in the film industry. But it worked for me. Joey saved the book for me as I wanted to know how she would connect the dots and figure out the mystery.
Where the book suffered a bit for me was the extensive world-building. Many first books in a series have to find that balance between the plot and world-building. I almost gave up on Final Cut, around the 30% mark, as I felt overwhelmed by all the characters and the details of being behind the scenes on a film set. Most of it didn’t have a bearing on the actual plot, but in a way, it was setting the stage. Finding out the author has worked in the industry for years, the information comes from experience, making it interesting but overwhelming. Now that a foundation has been laid, any future books in the series will hopefully be less staggering.
Final Cut is a good start to the Hollywood Mystery series with a satisfying mystery, main character, and the world created. I look forward to reading book two, Star Struck, once it is released.
Marjorie McCown has spent her entire professional life in the story-telling business, though she started out on the visual side of the craft. She designed costumes for theater and opera companies all over the country, including the NYC Opera at Lincoln Center, before she moved to Los Angeles to work on feature films.
Marjorie spent 27 years as a key member of the costume design teams for a string of successful movies that includes “Forrest Gump,” “Apollo 13,” “The Firm,” “A Bronx Tale,” “Wag the Dog,” “Hairspray,” “The Aviator,” “Angels and Demons,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” and “X-men Days of Future Past.”
She brings her background in film to her writing, setting her mysteries behind-the-scenes in the everyday working world of movies.
She has a BA in Theater from the University of Virginia, and an AAS in Fashion Design from FIT in NYC. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and Mystery Writers of America.
