by Marilyn Meredith
& Lorie Lewis Ham
Enjoy a fun video interview with Tony at the end of this review!
The official blurb for Murder Amongst Angels by Tony Piazza states the following:
Sexy, platinum blonde movie siren, Gertrude Hurd had it all-fame, men, and riches. But now she was dead. A fallen angel, whose broken body and tarnished halo was lying on a hillside behind her beach front cafe. It’s 1931, and private detective Tom Logan is back, once again immersed in a perplexing mystery, that has him racing against time to track down a merciless killer. As the body count grows, so do the suspects, as his investigation soon has him bucking against corrupt city officials, the mob, and the Hollywood studio system. Packed with mystery, action, romance, humor, and characters you won’t easily forget, this fantastic sequel delivers everything promised from the first novel and more. A Murder Amongst Angels is an nostalgic, hard-boiled detective mystery that takes readers back to the era of Chandler and Hammett, while creating a niche all its own.
Murder Amongst Angels is all of the above, but I want to tell you what I liked best about this book.
First, it’s a dandy whodunit, written much like the mysteries of old—the first ones I read as an adult.
Second, I liked the realistic quality of the writing about a time past. Piazza did a wonderful job bringing in all the nuances, ambiances, clothing, vehicles, and dialogue of the period.
Third, and probably my favorite, were the descriptions of all the places in the book. I grew up in the Los Angeles area and visited many of the places where the characters live and visit. He did such a good job with this, I could picture everything in my mind, which I’m sure will happen to every reader. (And reading the story brought back a flood of memories.)
When I was a kid, my mom subscribed to a newspaper that told all the gossip about the movie stars of the time, and especially if they got into any trouble. When Lana Turner’s daughter killed Ms. Turner’s boyfriend, every detail was recorded. I had some of the same feelings reading Murder Amongst Angels as I did back then, that I was finding out intriguing personal tidbits about a famous person’s life.
For those of you who love period mysteries, be sure and read Tony Piazza’s, Murder Amongst Angels.
Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & short stories in our mystery section.
This book sounds fascinating. What fun! I love period books and currently writing one of my own, set during WWII. It’s such fun researching and writing into the novel, the settings and events of the day. Sounds like this author has the winning combination for a great story.
Great review, Marilyn. I’m reading the book now. Tony makes my list of favorite authors with this from his Dedication:
“In the cold, pessimistic climate of today we all long for escape, and I try to provide just that. A rollicking good yarn that takes readers back to a simpler era when good-guys still wore white hats, detectives used their brains to solve mysteries, and a kiss from a dame could spell either death or romance.”
Love it!
I’ll have to check this out, sounds good!
So interesting…I’ve not heard of Tony but I will certainly check out his books!