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If Looks Could Kill: Martinis, Make-up . . . and Murder. The deliciously dark, hilariously twisted new crime novel
Martinis, makeup …. and murder?
It’s 1950 and Loretta Darling is living the California dream. She’s a make-up artist to the stars, dancing till dawn at fancy parties and tanning on palm tree lined beaches.
But Tinseltown backlots are filled with monsters and Loretta finds herself up-close-and-personal with one of the worst.
Big mistake. Huge.
LA has picked on the wrong girl and they’re about to discover there’s much more than lipstick lurking in her beauty case.
Hollywood may be Loretta’s dream, but she's straight out of their nightmares.
----
‘What a delicious dark delight of a book!’
JENNA BLUM, bestselling author of Those Who Save Us
‘So sassy and delicious. Loretta is one cool character’
JOSIE SILVER, Sunday Times bestselling author of One Day in December
‘Full of scene-stealing characters, this book is a wildly enjoyable ride’
LAURA WOOD, author of Under Your Spell
‘Absolutely loved this romp of a book. So feisty and fun’
TANIA TAY, author of The Other Woman
*Previously published as The Unforgettable Loretta, Darling*
It’s 1950 and Loretta Darling is living the California dream. She’s a make-up artist to the stars, dancing till dawn at fancy parties and tanning on palm tree lined beaches.
But Tinseltown backlots are filled with monsters and Loretta finds herself up-close-and-personal with one of the worst.
Big mistake. Huge.
LA has picked on the wrong girl and they’re about to discover there’s much more than lipstick lurking in her beauty case.
Hollywood may be Loretta’s dream, but she's straight out of their nightmares.
----
‘What a delicious dark delight of a book!’
JENNA BLUM, bestselling author of Those Who Save Us
‘So sassy and delicious. Loretta is one cool character’
JOSIE SILVER, Sunday Times bestselling author of One Day in December
‘Full of scene-stealing characters, this book is a wildly enjoyable ride’
LAURA WOOD, author of Under Your Spell
‘Absolutely loved this romp of a book. So feisty and fun’
TANIA TAY, author of The Other Woman
*Previously published as The Unforgettable Loretta, Darling*
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 5, 2025
About the author
Katherine Blake
9 books1 followerLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 23, 2026
Katherine Blake combines historical fiction with feminine rage in this pacy novel.
I loved the way this novel opened with stocking smuggling out of Liverpool in 1950. You only have to watch Call the Midwife to know how highly coveted and in such short supply stockings were in the aftermath of World War 2!
Margaret’s involvement in this shady dealing is her ticket to America. She’s a 20-year-old northern woman who’s been seduced by the glamour of Hollywood and is chasing the American Dream. Her plan? To take on a new identity as Loretta and become a make-up artist to the stars.
The reality, however, is somewhat different. Renting a cockroach-infested apartment next door to a brothel whilst working in a diner isn’t quite what she had in mind, but Margaret is persistent. She hasn’t come all the way to America to fail. She endures the sexist and misogynistic attitudes prevalent within the entertainment industry and the unquestioned acceptance of sexual abuse until she finds her own way to resist.
Margaret’s form of retribution is creative indeed. Starting out with only self-taught skills, her graft and determination enable her to begin building a career in make-up. And it has potent results.
This book made me consider whether Margaret’s punishments truly fitted the crime. I found it unsatisfying that the men involved were not forced to face up to the consequences of their actions and recognise the failings in their behaviour. However, as the novel is set in the 1950s, it’s unlikely that they would have been held accountable in a court of law. On this basis, I can understand Margaret’s desire to take control of the situation and exercise power in the only way she can in order to serve what, in her eyes, amounted to justice.
A compelling, if troubling, novel, which prompts you to question how much progress has been made since the 1950s.
I loved the way this novel opened with stocking smuggling out of Liverpool in 1950. You only have to watch Call the Midwife to know how highly coveted and in such short supply stockings were in the aftermath of World War 2!
Margaret’s involvement in this shady dealing is her ticket to America. She’s a 20-year-old northern woman who’s been seduced by the glamour of Hollywood and is chasing the American Dream. Her plan? To take on a new identity as Loretta and become a make-up artist to the stars.
The reality, however, is somewhat different. Renting a cockroach-infested apartment next door to a brothel whilst working in a diner isn’t quite what she had in mind, but Margaret is persistent. She hasn’t come all the way to America to fail. She endures the sexist and misogynistic attitudes prevalent within the entertainment industry and the unquestioned acceptance of sexual abuse until she finds her own way to resist.
Margaret’s form of retribution is creative indeed. Starting out with only self-taught skills, her graft and determination enable her to begin building a career in make-up. And it has potent results.
This book made me consider whether Margaret’s punishments truly fitted the crime. I found it unsatisfying that the men involved were not forced to face up to the consequences of their actions and recognise the failings in their behaviour. However, as the novel is set in the 1950s, it’s unlikely that they would have been held accountable in a court of law. On this basis, I can understand Margaret’s desire to take control of the situation and exercise power in the only way she can in order to serve what, in her eyes, amounted to justice.
A compelling, if troubling, novel, which prompts you to question how much progress has been made since the 1950s.
June 23, 2026
Heerlijk tussendoortje op vakantie. Hollywood 1950.
June 6, 2026
3.5
I really enjoyed it and couldn't stop picking it back up, but I feel like it could have used a lot more description and content.
The ending was also incredibly rushed, to the point where I started getting seriously confused as to what exactly had happened. I still don't fully know or understand Loretta's full backstory.
I also got this from the thriller/drama section of the bookstore and was sort of expecting a more murder-y thriller of sort? But by the time I realized this was NOT a thriller I was pretty entertained.
I really think it's more of a 1950s Hollywood rags to riches with sides of unhinged behavior.
It could have just used more description, more details, a bit more added in? Sometimes the writing felt overly simplistic when it came to the emotional scenes if that makes sense?
Still, if you don't mind a very rushed last 20 pages, it is a really fun read if you like the setting of Hollywood's golden age and toxic behaviors behind the glamour.
I really enjoyed it and couldn't stop picking it back up, but I feel like it could have used a lot more description and content.
The ending was also incredibly rushed, to the point where I started getting seriously confused as to what exactly had happened. I still don't fully know or understand Loretta's full backstory.
I also got this from the thriller/drama section of the bookstore and was sort of expecting a more murder-y thriller of sort? But by the time I realized this was NOT a thriller I was pretty entertained.
I really think it's more of a 1950s Hollywood rags to riches with sides of unhinged behavior.
It could have just used more description, more details, a bit more added in? Sometimes the writing felt overly simplistic when it came to the emotional scenes if that makes sense?
Still, if you don't mind a very rushed last 20 pages, it is a really fun read if you like the setting of Hollywood's golden age and toxic behaviors behind the glamour.
July 15, 2025
I’m so glad to be finished this book.
Less than 30% in she was married and her new husband decides to take her to an orgy where two men try to rape her and her husband isn’t helping her and “doesn’t know it would’ve happened”. She then proceeds to piss on his clothes which why?
The first 50% was really dull and I found not much happened. I hated most of the characters, Raphael, the emperor and I was back and forth with Eliot.
First read by this author and probably the last- just wasn’t for me.
Less than 30% in she was married and her new husband decides to take her to an orgy where two men try to rape her and her husband isn’t helping her and “doesn’t know it would’ve happened”. She then proceeds to piss on his clothes which why?
The first 50% was really dull and I found not much happened. I hated most of the characters, Raphael, the emperor and I was back and forth with Eliot.
First read by this author and probably the last- just wasn’t for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2026
"If Looks Could Kill: Martinis, Make-up . . . and Murder. The deliciously dark, hilariously twisted new crime novel" by "Katherine Blake" deconstructs the illusion of absolute authority, proving individual consciousness is the ultimate stronghold. Smart writing that leaves you pondering.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews