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Silver Screen Historical Mystery #4
DEATH IN THE PALACE an addictive historical crime thriller full of twists
A proposal to die for . . . British widow Emma Blackstone gets mixed up in murder once again in this stunning 1920s historical mystery featuring New York high society, mobsters, and silent-movie stars!
November, 1924. Beautiful silent-movie star Camille de la Rose—Kitty, to her adoring fans—is amused to receive an unusual proposal from an extremely rich stranger. Clark Dexter offers her $50,000 if she will marry and then divorce him.
Young British widow Emma Blackstone, Kitty’s dog walker, companion, and dearest friend, is determined to talk her employer out of it. Emma might have been living in the topsy-turvy world of Hollywood for a year now, but she knows a bad idea when she hears one.
There are disturbing rumors about Mr. Dexter. And when the source of the rumors is found dead in mysterious circumstances, Emma soon finds herself plunged into a disturbing investigation that sees her mixing with New York’s high society, mobsters, and movie stars . . . and a ruthless killer, who’ll stop at nothing to see their evil plan through.
New York Times bestselling author Barbara Hambly brings the glamor, intrigue, and dark side of Hollywood to life in the Silver Screen Mysteries—a perfect choice for fans of female-fronted historical mysteries set in the roaring twenties.
November, 1924. Beautiful silent-movie star Camille de la Rose—Kitty, to her adoring fans—is amused to receive an unusual proposal from an extremely rich stranger. Clark Dexter offers her $50,000 if she will marry and then divorce him.
Young British widow Emma Blackstone, Kitty’s dog walker, companion, and dearest friend, is determined to talk her employer out of it. Emma might have been living in the topsy-turvy world of Hollywood for a year now, but she knows a bad idea when she hears one.
There are disturbing rumors about Mr. Dexter. And when the source of the rumors is found dead in mysterious circumstances, Emma soon finds herself plunged into a disturbing investigation that sees her mixing with New York’s high society, mobsters, and movie stars . . . and a ruthless killer, who’ll stop at nothing to see their evil plan through.
New York Times bestselling author Barbara Hambly brings the glamor, intrigue, and dark side of Hollywood to life in the Silver Screen Mysteries—a perfect choice for fans of female-fronted historical mysteries set in the roaring twenties.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 31, 2026
About the author
Barbara Hambly
181 books1,639 followersaka Barbara Hamilton
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 2, 2026
“Death in the Palace” shifts the action of the series from LA for the first time, sending Kitty, Emma, et al. off to New York to film a movie at an affiliated studio in Queens. I suspect that this is done solely so Hambly can get the Marx Brothers, not yet in Hollywood in 1926, into the book: Groucho, Chico, and Zeppo all play significant roles. (Also, since it’s winter in New York, Hambly can indulge in what was, when she was a fantasy writer, one of her favorite pursuits: writing about how cold everyone is. Make sure to wear a sweater while reading.) But while I’m a big fan of the Marx Brothers, I think that this move is a mistake, because it messes with the mystery mechanics. In particular, it means that finding the killer responsible for the titular death requires a detective, which is a problem because though Emma, our protagonist, has many sterling qualities, she is not one. She is intelligent, quick-witted, and an excellent listener, and her unusual inside-outside position in Hollywood — symbolized by her nickname, Duchess — makes it possible for her to occasionally investigate goings-on in the film industry. She’s enough of an insider that movie people know her and trust that she will understand them, while remaining enough of an outsider that they aren’t worried about her using information for studio politics: thus, people in the industry are willing to tell her things that other investigators might have trouble learning. But she isn’t a detective: she has no contacts among the police or really anywhere outside of the studios, and limited time for investigations due to the many responsibilities of her job, recently expanded to include screenwriting. That means that she can only investigate crimes that take place solely among film people — not implausible, given the extent to which the film industry constitutes its own little world in LA — and only if they don’t require too much investigation to solve. In other words, crimes that the police have ignored, probably under pressure from studio bosses — in these books, the LAPD is depicted as being totally beholden to the studios — who are worried about bad publicity or are implicated in the crime themselves. This fits perfectly into a noir template, as the last book demonstrated by being the best in the series (despite its terrible title).
But in New York, this template no longer works. We’re not in the insular world of the movies, but a larger one, blending Broadway, vaudeville, old-money high society, and organized crime, among other elements. Emma has almost no visibility into most of these worlds, a point that is underlined by her successful attempts to gain access to one of them, that of high society. She manages to obtain an entree thanks to her upper-class English background and the sponsorship of one of Kitty’s boyfriends, an elderly oil magnate who appreciates having someone he can go to the opera with. But though she is accepted without question at a couple of parties, she is unable to do much investigating. As a total stranger, she can’t ask the questions she wants to ask, and nobody’s going to say anything damning in front of her (or at least nothing implicating them criminally: they do make it very clear that they are quite unpleasant people). This part provides some atmosphere and character development, but so do Zal’s visits from his sisters — unlike Kitty, he is not entirely estranged from his New York Jewish family — and they move the plot just as much.
Adding to the problems created by the fact that the crime is outside Emma’s usual bailiwick, it has to be a complex one (if Hambly wants it to work as the center of a mystery novel, that is). A murder in New York high society is bound to attract interest from the police, and unlike the LAPD, the NYPD is not (in this book, at least) beholden to anyone’s interests: several scenes showing Frank Pugh, the head of the studio, sweating as he tries to hide some of his less savory dealings from the cops make that clear. The murderer clearly expects a professional investigation and has therefore taken care to cover their tracks. And any crime capable of stumping a professional investigator will also certainly stump Emma: she can’t solve the crime, and therefore doesn’t solve it. Instead, at the end a friendly bootlegger steps in to do the detective work that Emma can’t — he has the necessary contacts, including among the police, and spare time — and reveals everything in one info-dump chapter. The rapid transition to a chase scene can’t hide how disappointing an ending it is for a mystery.
Luckily, this series’ strong point has never been its plots: it’s the characters and the setting that draw you in and keep you reading. The titular death doesn’t even happen until almost halfway through the book. To give the book a plot in the meantime, Hambly sets up an initial mystery by having a (fictional) New York millionaire offer to pay Kitty to marry him for a week. Emma and Kitty are warned by (real-life) director Thomas Ince that this offer is somehow dangerous: Hambly then uses Ince’s subsequent death on William Randolph Hearst’s yacht — an incident that spawned a number of conspiracy theories at the time — to create a specter of looming peril. But a lot of the time in New York is spent enjoyably meandering along. Everything has a purpose, to be sure: we get character development from Emma working on the script of the movie they are shooting while they shoot it or her meeting Zal’s younger sister, scene-setting from Groucho and Chico telling jokes and Kitty going to nightclubs. But even Emma’s attempts at investigating, first the mystery of the marriage proposal and then the murder, are often more about the journey than the destination, as it were: she may not get any closer to figuring out what’s going on, but we have fun nonetheless. Presumably being able to put “Silver Screen Historical Mystery” on the cover is key for sales purposes, but since the mystery part tends to be hit or miss, I wonder what it would be like if Hambly tried to write a different kind of novel with these ingredients. Until she does, though, I’ll still be looking forward to the next one in this series.
But in New York, this template no longer works. We’re not in the insular world of the movies, but a larger one, blending Broadway, vaudeville, old-money high society, and organized crime, among other elements. Emma has almost no visibility into most of these worlds, a point that is underlined by her successful attempts to gain access to one of them, that of high society. She manages to obtain an entree thanks to her upper-class English background and the sponsorship of one of Kitty’s boyfriends, an elderly oil magnate who appreciates having someone he can go to the opera with. But though she is accepted without question at a couple of parties, she is unable to do much investigating. As a total stranger, she can’t ask the questions she wants to ask, and nobody’s going to say anything damning in front of her (or at least nothing implicating them criminally: they do make it very clear that they are quite unpleasant people). This part provides some atmosphere and character development, but so do Zal’s visits from his sisters — unlike Kitty, he is not entirely estranged from his New York Jewish family — and they move the plot just as much.
Adding to the problems created by the fact that the crime is outside Emma’s usual bailiwick, it has to be a complex one (if Hambly wants it to work as the center of a mystery novel, that is). A murder in New York high society is bound to attract interest from the police, and unlike the LAPD, the NYPD is not (in this book, at least) beholden to anyone’s interests: several scenes showing Frank Pugh, the head of the studio, sweating as he tries to hide some of his less savory dealings from the cops make that clear. The murderer clearly expects a professional investigation and has therefore taken care to cover their tracks. And any crime capable of stumping a professional investigator will also certainly stump Emma: she can’t solve the crime, and therefore doesn’t solve it. Instead, at the end a friendly bootlegger steps in to do the detective work that Emma can’t — he has the necessary contacts, including among the police, and spare time — and reveals everything in one info-dump chapter. The rapid transition to a chase scene can’t hide how disappointing an ending it is for a mystery.
Luckily, this series’ strong point has never been its plots: it’s the characters and the setting that draw you in and keep you reading. The titular death doesn’t even happen until almost halfway through the book. To give the book a plot in the meantime, Hambly sets up an initial mystery by having a (fictional) New York millionaire offer to pay Kitty to marry him for a week. Emma and Kitty are warned by (real-life) director Thomas Ince that this offer is somehow dangerous: Hambly then uses Ince’s subsequent death on William Randolph Hearst’s yacht — an incident that spawned a number of conspiracy theories at the time — to create a specter of looming peril. But a lot of the time in New York is spent enjoyably meandering along. Everything has a purpose, to be sure: we get character development from Emma working on the script of the movie they are shooting while they shoot it or her meeting Zal’s younger sister, scene-setting from Groucho and Chico telling jokes and Kitty going to nightclubs. But even Emma’s attempts at investigating, first the mystery of the marriage proposal and then the murder, are often more about the journey than the destination, as it were: she may not get any closer to figuring out what’s going on, but we have fun nonetheless. Presumably being able to put “Silver Screen Historical Mystery” on the cover is key for sales purposes, but since the mystery part tends to be hit or miss, I wonder what it would be like if Hambly tried to write a different kind of novel with these ingredients. Until she does, though, I’ll still be looking forward to the next one in this series.
June 1, 2026
Picked this book up on a whim and didn’t realize it was part of a series. Now it looks like I have to read the rest of the series to catch up. Found it interesting and it caught my attention.
April 3, 2026
As with all the books in this series, you won’t flounder if you read it as a standalone, although there are plenty of Easter eggs for those of us who have had the pleasure of the previous three books.
Hambly’s strengths are her nuanced characterisation and vivid scene setting. Hollywood in the 1920s was churning out films as if on a production line, with studio bosses driving everyone involved to the limits of their stamina to finish on time. Small wonder so many of the actors resorted to alcohol, which was outlawed at the time due to Prohibition, and stimulants often including drugs that were not treated with the caution they are today. In fact, Health and Safety wasn’t a feature at any stage. Emma is having a relationship with one of the cameramen and through their interaction, we see what long hours he is are having to work, often in appalling conditions. Emma, as well as looking after her beautiful sister-in-law, has been contracted to write or alter scenes of the film that Kitty is working on.
There are some humorous interludes – but everyone involved is under no illusions that their career is stable. Competition for leading parts is vicious and actresses – Kitty included – are expected to sleep with studio bosses in order to keep their leading lady status. Sexism and racism is embedded within social norms, while antisemitism is casual and socially acceptable.
I’ve grown fond of Emma over the four books. Widowed during World War I, she then became seriously ill with the Spanish flu and surfaced to find that the pandemic had carried off her parents and her siblings. Having lost everything, as she was also expected to die, Emma had to take a job as a lady’s companion to a terrible woman and her lecherous son in order to survive. She never stops feeling deeply grateful to Kitty for her invitation to travel to the States and work for her, instead. Especially as the women are also firm friends.
Emma has now established herself to the extent that most people within her circle call her Duchess, due to her liking for tea and her ability to keep calm in a crisis – and her English accent. This time, the action mostly takes place in an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of New York city, which is masquerading as a palace. Everyone is unsettled when a death initially reported as murder, suddenly becomes a collapse due to natural causes. And then there’s the letter to Kitty, offering the huge sum of $50,000 if she will marry Mr Dexter for one week. Kitty is tempted – she is reaching the age where her film career will soon come to an end and a nest-egg of that size will come in handy. But Emma is worried that it won’t end well if she takes Dexter up on his offer.
The plotting, as ever, is twisty and convincing. I thoroughly enjoyed the dramatic denouement which had me reading far later than I should to discover exactly how it ended. Hambly is one of those authors who occasionally kills off established characters, so I don’t always relax when I read her books. They are exceedingly well written and remain vividly memorable – but Hambly doesn’t varnish the ongoing challenge of living in times when life was cheap and most people were near the breadline. Very highly recommended for fans of excellent historical murder mystery adventures. While I obtained an arc of Death in the Palace from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10
Hambly’s strengths are her nuanced characterisation and vivid scene setting. Hollywood in the 1920s was churning out films as if on a production line, with studio bosses driving everyone involved to the limits of their stamina to finish on time. Small wonder so many of the actors resorted to alcohol, which was outlawed at the time due to Prohibition, and stimulants often including drugs that were not treated with the caution they are today. In fact, Health and Safety wasn’t a feature at any stage. Emma is having a relationship with one of the cameramen and through their interaction, we see what long hours he is are having to work, often in appalling conditions. Emma, as well as looking after her beautiful sister-in-law, has been contracted to write or alter scenes of the film that Kitty is working on.
There are some humorous interludes – but everyone involved is under no illusions that their career is stable. Competition for leading parts is vicious and actresses – Kitty included – are expected to sleep with studio bosses in order to keep their leading lady status. Sexism and racism is embedded within social norms, while antisemitism is casual and socially acceptable.
I’ve grown fond of Emma over the four books. Widowed during World War I, she then became seriously ill with the Spanish flu and surfaced to find that the pandemic had carried off her parents and her siblings. Having lost everything, as she was also expected to die, Emma had to take a job as a lady’s companion to a terrible woman and her lecherous son in order to survive. She never stops feeling deeply grateful to Kitty for her invitation to travel to the States and work for her, instead. Especially as the women are also firm friends.
Emma has now established herself to the extent that most people within her circle call her Duchess, due to her liking for tea and her ability to keep calm in a crisis – and her English accent. This time, the action mostly takes place in an abandoned mansion on the outskirts of New York city, which is masquerading as a palace. Everyone is unsettled when a death initially reported as murder, suddenly becomes a collapse due to natural causes. And then there’s the letter to Kitty, offering the huge sum of $50,000 if she will marry Mr Dexter for one week. Kitty is tempted – she is reaching the age where her film career will soon come to an end and a nest-egg of that size will come in handy. But Emma is worried that it won’t end well if she takes Dexter up on his offer.
The plotting, as ever, is twisty and convincing. I thoroughly enjoyed the dramatic denouement which had me reading far later than I should to discover exactly how it ended. Hambly is one of those authors who occasionally kills off established characters, so I don’t always relax when I read her books. They are exceedingly well written and remain vividly memorable – but Hambly doesn’t varnish the ongoing challenge of living in times when life was cheap and most people were near the breadline. Very highly recommended for fans of excellent historical murder mystery adventures. While I obtained an arc of Death in the Palace from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Amid the glamour and sins of the movie business in the roarin’ twenties, Emma (Duchess) Blackstone fills many roles — dog watcher, scene writer, starlet’s conscience/accomplice, and detective. When film star Darlene Golden is brutally murdered, Duchess has questions.
Death in the Palace is a masterclass in weaving history and fiction into a beautiful whole. The result is a story so seamless and sultry, it could be worn to the Oscars and appear on the best-dressed lists. So, yes, I loved this book.
The worldbuilding is so immersive, you’ll be thinking and speaking in quick-witted quips until you annoy your friends. Ms. Hambly didn’t just read about the time period and major historical events; she integrated the culture, food, clothes, nicknames, jealousies, mysteries, and motivations like they were lived experiences. It’s enough to drown in.
The dialogue is as rich as Lindy’s cheesecake. Groucho and Duchess could take the show on the road and make a killing. It’s fast, funny, and convincing.
Likewise, the character development is sublime. As a war widow, Emma’s husband, Jim, is never far from her mind. It affects her romantic relationships, how she understands others, and how she reacts to stories of cruel, abusive, or neglectful parents. There is a sharp contrast between the sins we associate with the twenties — smoking, drinking, and fornication — and those that aren’t as glamorous — controlling behavior, emotional abandonment, and the refusal to forgive. It makes you think.
The entire cast — Zal, Kitty, Darlene, Shakespeare Malone, Roxie North, the Marx brothers, and even Kitty’s trio of Pekinese pups — is well-drawn, varied, and authentic. It was such a brilliant move to provide readers with a guide who is not a leading lady, but, despite being something of an outsider, is still within the circle. We see the vices and victories up close, but through a window, not a door.
As the mystery unfolds, it becomes slightly difficult to follow in places. A line or two more clarifying the villain’s plan and motivations might help. That’s my only criticism — and I was able to sort everything out and enjoy the mystery.
Full marks for theme, style, and consistency. This is a gorgeous story ideal for historical mystery buffs who like a fast pace, don’t mind a little bathtub moonshine, and are resilient in the face of misogyny and prejudice — Death in the Palace is accurate on multiple fronts. Readers who enjoy classic Hollywood intrigue with emotional depth will be enthralled.
Thank you, Severn House, for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy through NetGalley, and I am writing this review voluntarily.
Death in the Palace is a masterclass in weaving history and fiction into a beautiful whole. The result is a story so seamless and sultry, it could be worn to the Oscars and appear on the best-dressed lists. So, yes, I loved this book.
The worldbuilding is so immersive, you’ll be thinking and speaking in quick-witted quips until you annoy your friends. Ms. Hambly didn’t just read about the time period and major historical events; she integrated the culture, food, clothes, nicknames, jealousies, mysteries, and motivations like they were lived experiences. It’s enough to drown in.
The dialogue is as rich as Lindy’s cheesecake. Groucho and Duchess could take the show on the road and make a killing. It’s fast, funny, and convincing.
Likewise, the character development is sublime. As a war widow, Emma’s husband, Jim, is never far from her mind. It affects her romantic relationships, how she understands others, and how she reacts to stories of cruel, abusive, or neglectful parents. There is a sharp contrast between the sins we associate with the twenties — smoking, drinking, and fornication — and those that aren’t as glamorous — controlling behavior, emotional abandonment, and the refusal to forgive. It makes you think.
The entire cast — Zal, Kitty, Darlene, Shakespeare Malone, Roxie North, the Marx brothers, and even Kitty’s trio of Pekinese pups — is well-drawn, varied, and authentic. It was such a brilliant move to provide readers with a guide who is not a leading lady, but, despite being something of an outsider, is still within the circle. We see the vices and victories up close, but through a window, not a door.
As the mystery unfolds, it becomes slightly difficult to follow in places. A line or two more clarifying the villain’s plan and motivations might help. That’s my only criticism — and I was able to sort everything out and enjoy the mystery.
Full marks for theme, style, and consistency. This is a gorgeous story ideal for historical mystery buffs who like a fast pace, don’t mind a little bathtub moonshine, and are resilient in the face of misogyny and prejudice — Death in the Palace is accurate on multiple fronts. Readers who enjoy classic Hollywood intrigue with emotional depth will be enthralled.
Thank you, Severn House, for the opportunity to read this book. I received a complimentary copy through NetGalley, and I am writing this review voluntarily.
March 4, 2026
Many thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an advance copy.
Most readers are probably familiar with Barbara Hambly’s prolific sci-fi/fantasy series (Darwath, Winterlands, James Asher, etc), but I especially enjoy her fast and funny Silver Screen Historical Mysteries series. The setting is Hollywood during the interwar years, when the film industry is growing rapidly and ‘the movies’ are becoming the first choice in entertainment for the modern age. The main character, the refined, cerebral, wealthy Oxford archaeology grad Emma Blackstone, is a war widow who had also lost most of her family during the flu epidemic of 1919. Reeling from shock and grief when she is introduced in the first book, she gratefully takes a ‘companion’ position for her brother in law’s sometime wife, Hollywood starlet Camille de la Rose, popularly known as Kitty. She also looks after Kitty’s three adorable Pekingese, each with as much personality as Kitty and her network of Hollywood friends and hangers-on.
Out of the blue, Kitty receives a letter from a wealthy New Yorker who makes her an offer: if she agrees to marry and divorce him within a week, she will be paid $50,000, a healthy sum in the 1920s. Emma manages to persuade the adventurous Kitty to stay away from what sounds like a very risky development.
This installment, which can be read without the first three, switches the scene to New York City, now also a burgeoning film centre. The entourage, including a number of the studio employees, set out for the city to film a historical drama, a project that includes Kitty’s arch-rival, Darlene Golden. Emma continues her work as a ‘script doctor,’ mostly trying to make an anachronistic script meet some standard of historical accuracy. Cast and crew must deal with their own internal rivalries as well as bootleggers, gangsters, and such New York celebrities as the Marx Brothers.
In the midst of all this frenetic activity, Darlene is murdered. Is the crime related to the cash-for-marriage’ proposal? The logical and self-possessed Emma must once again consider the thin body of clues, multiple theories and multiple suspects, as she works to resolve this double mystery.
Hambly has a great deal going on in this bi-coastal novel, but she carries it off splendidly. As usual, even the language reflects common usage of the time, and attention to the style and glamour of the screen culture make it all seem very cinematic too. Emma even finds herself becoming romantically intrigued by cameraman Zal, the first time she shows some healing from the loss of her husband Jim. This is another Hambly story well worth immersing yourself in for a few hours.
Most readers are probably familiar with Barbara Hambly’s prolific sci-fi/fantasy series (Darwath, Winterlands, James Asher, etc), but I especially enjoy her fast and funny Silver Screen Historical Mysteries series. The setting is Hollywood during the interwar years, when the film industry is growing rapidly and ‘the movies’ are becoming the first choice in entertainment for the modern age. The main character, the refined, cerebral, wealthy Oxford archaeology grad Emma Blackstone, is a war widow who had also lost most of her family during the flu epidemic of 1919. Reeling from shock and grief when she is introduced in the first book, she gratefully takes a ‘companion’ position for her brother in law’s sometime wife, Hollywood starlet Camille de la Rose, popularly known as Kitty. She also looks after Kitty’s three adorable Pekingese, each with as much personality as Kitty and her network of Hollywood friends and hangers-on.
Out of the blue, Kitty receives a letter from a wealthy New Yorker who makes her an offer: if she agrees to marry and divorce him within a week, she will be paid $50,000, a healthy sum in the 1920s. Emma manages to persuade the adventurous Kitty to stay away from what sounds like a very risky development.
This installment, which can be read without the first three, switches the scene to New York City, now also a burgeoning film centre. The entourage, including a number of the studio employees, set out for the city to film a historical drama, a project that includes Kitty’s arch-rival, Darlene Golden. Emma continues her work as a ‘script doctor,’ mostly trying to make an anachronistic script meet some standard of historical accuracy. Cast and crew must deal with their own internal rivalries as well as bootleggers, gangsters, and such New York celebrities as the Marx Brothers.
In the midst of all this frenetic activity, Darlene is murdered. Is the crime related to the cash-for-marriage’ proposal? The logical and self-possessed Emma must once again consider the thin body of clues, multiple theories and multiple suspects, as she works to resolve this double mystery.
Hambly has a great deal going on in this bi-coastal novel, but she carries it off splendidly. As usual, even the language reflects common usage of the time, and attention to the style and glamour of the screen culture make it all seem very cinematic too. Emma even finds herself becoming romantically intrigued by cameraman Zal, the first time she shows some healing from the loss of her husband Jim. This is another Hambly story well worth immersing yourself in for a few hours.
July 17, 2026
This is a lovely piece of historical fiction which will engage readers on the strength of the characters. These are a mix of real and imagined, but all are interesting and strongly drawn.
The novel is set in the 1920s, in the midst of the still fledgling movie business. This is the fourth in the series, and I haven’t read the others, but I was very quickly engaged with the story and characters. It’s no trouble to follow it, and it made me want to go back and read the others.
I’ll admit that it takes a while before the plot really revs up here – it feels like most of it happens in the second half of the novel. The first half is taken up with scene setting and the characters, and most readers will be so dazzled that they won’t care what’s going on.
Hambly vividly describes the movie business in the 1920s and the people who populate it. It’s a dizzying whirl of familiar names, who are dealing with a crazy industry. More broadly, post war changes are reshaping society, and it’s not always an easy transition. People will always be people, though, and love and lust and greed don’t change that much.
Many of Hambly’s characters are witty, and I found myself smiling often at the quick repartee. I enjoyed a lot of it. As far as I know, Hambly’s characterisations of real people are consistent with the historical record. Beyond that, she finds a lot of scope for depicting them in vivid and believable ways. You’ll never watch a Marx brothers movie in quite the same way.
By the time the full force of the plot hits, you’ll care a lot about the characters and what happens to them. The plot is twisty but believable. There were clues scattered earlier in the novel, but one of them led me right up the very wrong garden path. I think most readers will be surprised by at least part of the unwinding of the plot.
This was just plain fun to read. I enjoyed the narrative tone and humor, and appreciated the historical details. This takes place in a time and place which isn’t used too often in historical fiction, and it’s all the more enjoyable for the freshness this exudes.
Highly recommended if you like any or all of the following: strong characters, witty narrative, historical fiction, or plots which are tricky puzzles. This is a great read.
If you enjoyed this review, please visit www.otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog to read more.
The novel is set in the 1920s, in the midst of the still fledgling movie business. This is the fourth in the series, and I haven’t read the others, but I was very quickly engaged with the story and characters. It’s no trouble to follow it, and it made me want to go back and read the others.
I’ll admit that it takes a while before the plot really revs up here – it feels like most of it happens in the second half of the novel. The first half is taken up with scene setting and the characters, and most readers will be so dazzled that they won’t care what’s going on.
Hambly vividly describes the movie business in the 1920s and the people who populate it. It’s a dizzying whirl of familiar names, who are dealing with a crazy industry. More broadly, post war changes are reshaping society, and it’s not always an easy transition. People will always be people, though, and love and lust and greed don’t change that much.
Many of Hambly’s characters are witty, and I found myself smiling often at the quick repartee. I enjoyed a lot of it. As far as I know, Hambly’s characterisations of real people are consistent with the historical record. Beyond that, she finds a lot of scope for depicting them in vivid and believable ways. You’ll never watch a Marx brothers movie in quite the same way.
By the time the full force of the plot hits, you’ll care a lot about the characters and what happens to them. The plot is twisty but believable. There were clues scattered earlier in the novel, but one of them led me right up the very wrong garden path. I think most readers will be surprised by at least part of the unwinding of the plot.
This was just plain fun to read. I enjoyed the narrative tone and humor, and appreciated the historical details. This takes place in a time and place which isn’t used too often in historical fiction, and it’s all the more enjoyable for the freshness this exudes.
Highly recommended if you like any or all of the following: strong characters, witty narrative, historical fiction, or plots which are tricky puzzles. This is a great read.
If you enjoyed this review, please visit www.otherdreamsotherlives.home.blog to read more.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I thank NetGalley and Severn House for an advance reader copy of Death in the Palace. All opinions and comments are my own.
A proposal for a week of marriage, a gift of $50,000 followed by a quickie divorce? Sounds like the basis of a cheesy Tinseltown script, one that script “fixer” Emma Blackstone could probably whip out in her sleep. As she discovers in Death in the Palace, this is just one of the crazy shenanigans uncovered as she travels with her movie star sister-in- law and other studio notables as they head east to the Big Apple to film a Hollywood blockbuster.
This is another wild and whacky adventure for Emma and Kitty AKA Camille de la Rose, Hollywood’s brightest star, giving author Barbara Hambly the opportunity to throw a cast of veritable thousands into the mix. You might need a scorecard to keep track of everybody (Valentino! George S. Kaufman! Gangsters galore!), up to and including the Marx Brothers, who figure prominently in the plot, to the point of one of the brothers as a suspect for the killing of one of Kitty’s fellow actresses. Wade through all this, and you finally get to the why and wherefore, a very clever tale of an age-old reason for murder.
Emma is a resourceful character, a clever woman rising from an unhappy past who is increasingly finding her way. In amongst all the flotsam and jetsam of all the extras and settings, there’s a clever criminal here that requires some uncovering, and Emma is just the person to figure it all out and see justice done, enough to put some bright lights and big music behind the final title card “The End.”
A proposal for a week of marriage, a gift of $50,000 followed by a quickie divorce? Sounds like the basis of a cheesy Tinseltown script, one that script “fixer” Emma Blackstone could probably whip out in her sleep. As she discovers in Death in the Palace, this is just one of the crazy shenanigans uncovered as she travels with her movie star sister-in- law and other studio notables as they head east to the Big Apple to film a Hollywood blockbuster.
This is another wild and whacky adventure for Emma and Kitty AKA Camille de la Rose, Hollywood’s brightest star, giving author Barbara Hambly the opportunity to throw a cast of veritable thousands into the mix. You might need a scorecard to keep track of everybody (Valentino! George S. Kaufman! Gangsters galore!), up to and including the Marx Brothers, who figure prominently in the plot, to the point of one of the brothers as a suspect for the killing of one of Kitty’s fellow actresses. Wade through all this, and you finally get to the why and wherefore, a very clever tale of an age-old reason for murder.
Emma is a resourceful character, a clever woman rising from an unhappy past who is increasingly finding her way. In amongst all the flotsam and jetsam of all the extras and settings, there’s a clever criminal here that requires some uncovering, and Emma is just the person to figure it all out and see justice done, enough to put some bright lights and big music behind the final title card “The End.”
September 14, 2026
Part of a murder mystery series set in 1920s Hollywood, Death in the Palace packs the characters off to New York City. Emma (widow, dog watcher, screenwriter), her cameraman boyfriend Zal, and her movie-star sister-in-law Kitty must solve a murder involving gangsters, the Marx brothers, rival actresses, a life-size replica of Versailles on Long Island, smuggling alcohol past Prohibition officers, multiple divorce detectives, lookalike stand-ins, an author furious that the movie version won't match every detail in his book, offers of marriage that promise to last only one week and come with a $50,000 bonus, Zal's Orthodox Jewish family, Christmas presents and Hanukkah candles and New Year's Eve parties, and Broadway chorus-girl costumes with matching pistols. It's absolutely delightful.
If I have a critique, it's that I think the mystery ended up being too complicated; I spent a lot of time in the last few chapters flipping back through the pages and going, "who is this guy? what is his connection to that other guy? how does that motivation work? what were the details of the plan again?"
On the other hand, I don't really read Hambly's books for the mysteries. I read them for the setting and characters and historical research and writing style and emotions and humor and wild plot beats, and all of those elements were delivered in spades. Plus the Marx brothers! They're fairly important secondary characters in this book, and were so much fun.
If you enjoy the Benjamin January series (and I do), I highly recommend trying out the Silver Screen Mysteries as well.
If I have a critique, it's that I think the mystery ended up being too complicated; I spent a lot of time in the last few chapters flipping back through the pages and going, "who is this guy? what is his connection to that other guy? how does that motivation work? what were the details of the plan again?"
On the other hand, I don't really read Hambly's books for the mysteries. I read them for the setting and characters and historical research and writing style and emotions and humor and wild plot beats, and all of those elements were delivered in spades. Plus the Marx brothers! They're fairly important secondary characters in this book, and were so much fun.
If you enjoy the Benjamin January series (and I do), I highly recommend trying out the Silver Screen Mysteries as well.
December 14, 2025
Thank you to Severn House / NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
I haven’t read any of Barbara’s previous books, but this one immediately stuck out to me on NetGalley. 1920s Hollywood murder mystery? Sign me up!
The book focuses on a very wealthy widow (Emma) trying to figure out why a wealthy actor has proposed marriage to her sister-in-law (Kitty) for one week only before having it annulled, and unravelling a murder.
Despite it being third-person limited perspective, I found it a bit tricky to get a really good grip on Emma’s personality, presumably because I haven’t read the other books in the series. However, it was otherwise easy to jump into this book without reading the preceding novels.
My favourite character was Kitty, who’s frivolous, a little bitchy and ditzy, but with a very good understanding of people and how they operate - think Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. She serves as a great contrast to Emma, who’s more reserved, very observational, with a dry sense of humour.
In terms of Barbara’s writing style, I thought that she weaved descriptions, Emma’s thoughts, and dialogue together pretty effortlessly. It made it really easy to vividly imagine scenes and how each character speaks. Her dialogue, full of funny interjections and interruptions, is really fun to read.
I struggled with the more descriptive parts of the book that served the purpose of covering time passing, as they went on longer than I personally enjoy. I experienced a bit of a lull a few times, such as in the middle 20% of the book where I felt like I wasn’t learning much new.
I haven’t read any of Barbara’s previous books, but this one immediately stuck out to me on NetGalley. 1920s Hollywood murder mystery? Sign me up!
The book focuses on a very wealthy widow (Emma) trying to figure out why a wealthy actor has proposed marriage to her sister-in-law (Kitty) for one week only before having it annulled, and unravelling a murder.
Despite it being third-person limited perspective, I found it a bit tricky to get a really good grip on Emma’s personality, presumably because I haven’t read the other books in the series. However, it was otherwise easy to jump into this book without reading the preceding novels.
My favourite character was Kitty, who’s frivolous, a little bitchy and ditzy, but with a very good understanding of people and how they operate - think Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. She serves as a great contrast to Emma, who’s more reserved, very observational, with a dry sense of humour.
In terms of Barbara’s writing style, I thought that she weaved descriptions, Emma’s thoughts, and dialogue together pretty effortlessly. It made it really easy to vividly imagine scenes and how each character speaks. Her dialogue, full of funny interjections and interruptions, is really fun to read.
I struggled with the more descriptive parts of the book that served the purpose of covering time passing, as they went on longer than I personally enjoy. I experienced a bit of a lull a few times, such as in the middle 20% of the book where I felt like I wasn’t learning much new.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
i read this book in just three hours, and it was such an engaging and immersive experience from beginning to end. the plot unfolds with a beautiful sense of rhythm, blending mystery, glamour, and quiet tension in a way that keeps the story moving while still allowing the details to breathe. being part of a series really adds to its strength, as the world and its people already feel layered and lived-in, making every new development feel even more meaningful.
what i loved most was the way the characters were written and allowed to grow. emma, kitty, and the supporting cast feel emotionally real, with their ambitions, fears, and loyalties gently shaping the direction of the story. the themes of reputation, secrecy, and survival run softly beneath the surface, giving the narrative depth without ever feeling heavy-handed. although a few moments were slightly complex and required a little extra attention, they ultimately added to the richness of the storytelling rather than taking anything away from it.
the writing style itself is elegant and atmospheric, perfectly suited to the setting and tone of the book. it creates a vivid, almost cinematic reading experience that draws you in and keeps you there. i’m giving this book 4.2 stars — it was a truly enjoyable and rewarding read that i would happily recommend. thank you to barbara, severn house, and netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc; i thoroughly enjoyed it.
what i loved most was the way the characters were written and allowed to grow. emma, kitty, and the supporting cast feel emotionally real, with their ambitions, fears, and loyalties gently shaping the direction of the story. the themes of reputation, secrecy, and survival run softly beneath the surface, giving the narrative depth without ever feeling heavy-handed. although a few moments were slightly complex and required a little extra attention, they ultimately added to the richness of the storytelling rather than taking anything away from it.
the writing style itself is elegant and atmospheric, perfectly suited to the setting and tone of the book. it creates a vivid, almost cinematic reading experience that draws you in and keeps you there. i’m giving this book 4.2 stars — it was a truly enjoyable and rewarding read that i would happily recommend. thank you to barbara, severn house, and netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc; i thoroughly enjoyed it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 rounded up to 5
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
I was intrigued when I started reading this series, as I was more familiar with the author's fantasy works, and the Benjamin January historical series.
The premise of a English war widow (Emma) ending up as, essentially, a PA to her slightly ditzy but good hearted movie star sister-in-law Kitty (and her Pekineses) during the roaring 20s in California just sounded like a fish-out-of-water story I could really enjoy. Add in some amateur murder solving, famous people from history and writing that allows you to smell the perfume AND the dust on the streets, and you have a winner!
Emma (and her boyfriend) and Kitty have gone to NYC because of a business deal that Kitty's studio has to film a movie on location. There are A LOT of problems with production that produce both tension and shenanigans, along with the Marx brothers, speakeasies, Christmas in NY, some 'mob business' and, oh yes, murder.
Hambly skilfully juggles all these disparate characters and situations and presents a fascinating novel - although I'm sure the protagonists will be very happy to return to Los Angeles!
Recommend to fans of well written/researched historical mysteries. This is book 4, and your enjoyment would benefit greatly from having read at least one of the other books in the series.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
I was intrigued when I started reading this series, as I was more familiar with the author's fantasy works, and the Benjamin January historical series.
The premise of a English war widow (Emma) ending up as, essentially, a PA to her slightly ditzy but good hearted movie star sister-in-law Kitty (and her Pekineses) during the roaring 20s in California just sounded like a fish-out-of-water story I could really enjoy. Add in some amateur murder solving, famous people from history and writing that allows you to smell the perfume AND the dust on the streets, and you have a winner!
Emma (and her boyfriend) and Kitty have gone to NYC because of a business deal that Kitty's studio has to film a movie on location. There are A LOT of problems with production that produce both tension and shenanigans, along with the Marx brothers, speakeasies, Christmas in NY, some 'mob business' and, oh yes, murder.
Hambly skilfully juggles all these disparate characters and situations and presents a fascinating novel - although I'm sure the protagonists will be very happy to return to Los Angeles!
Recommend to fans of well written/researched historical mysteries. This is book 4, and your enjoyment would benefit greatly from having read at least one of the other books in the series.
May 19, 2026
November, 1924. Beautiful silent-movie star Camille de la Rose—Kitty, to her adoring fans—is amused to receive an unusual proposal from an extremely rich stranger. Clark Dexter offers her $50,000 if she will marry and then divorce him.
Young British widow Emma Blackstone, Kitty’s dog walker, companion, and dearest friend, is determined to talk her employer out of it. Emma might have been living in the topsy-turvy world of Hollywood for a year now, but she knows a bad idea when she hears one.
There are disturbing rumors about Mr. Dexter. And when the source of the rumors is found dead in mysterious circumstances, Emma soon finds herself plunged into a disturbing investigation that sees her mixing with New York’s high society, mobsters, and movie stars . . . and a ruthless killer, who’ll stop at nothing to see their evil plan through.
New York Times bestselling author Barbara Hambly brings the glamor, intrigue, and dark side of Hollywood to life in the Silver Screen Mysteries—a perfect choice for fans of female-fronted historical mysteries set in the roaring twenties.
Hambly definitely delivered with the glamor, intrigue, and dark side of fame. I really enjoyed the story. Will recommend to others
Young British widow Emma Blackstone, Kitty’s dog walker, companion, and dearest friend, is determined to talk her employer out of it. Emma might have been living in the topsy-turvy world of Hollywood for a year now, but she knows a bad idea when she hears one.
There are disturbing rumors about Mr. Dexter. And when the source of the rumors is found dead in mysterious circumstances, Emma soon finds herself plunged into a disturbing investigation that sees her mixing with New York’s high society, mobsters, and movie stars . . . and a ruthless killer, who’ll stop at nothing to see their evil plan through.
New York Times bestselling author Barbara Hambly brings the glamor, intrigue, and dark side of Hollywood to life in the Silver Screen Mysteries—a perfect choice for fans of female-fronted historical mysteries set in the roaring twenties.
Hambly definitely delivered with the glamor, intrigue, and dark side of fame. I really enjoyed the story. Will recommend to others
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Kitty (stage name Camille de la Rose) received a marriage proposal from a New York millionaire- Clark Dexter. Emma Blackstone, Kitty's sister-in-law and companion thought it a bit odd - being married for one week, then a divorce and a $50,000 check. But then the other leading lady on the film Shining Bright - Darlene golden - receives the same offer, Emma's suspicions are aroused. Especially when the filming of Shining Bright is moved to New York City and just happens to be on a property owned by Dexter Holding. In New York, the cast and crew worked on filming while also spending time at various nightclubs, the opera, hanging out with gangsters and the like. Typical 1920s NYC life. But then when a cast member is killed, things get much more serious and end with a dramatic shoot-out! A fun and exciting read that provides a flavor of NYC in the 1920s with speakeasies, vaudeville, Broadway, the Marx Brothers, and the like all playing a part.
Thanks Netgalley and Severn House for the chance to read and enjoy this title!
Thanks Netgalley and Severn House for the chance to read and enjoy this title!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Death in the Palace is the fourth in the Silver Screens series and is just as good as the previous three. Set in the 1920’s it has all the glamour of the golden age of Hollywood. This book has an amazing cast of characters from Mob bosses to the Marx Brothers and everything in between. Strange goings on when Kitty, a silent movie starlet, receives a proposal of marriage from New York millionaire, Clark Dexter, who wants to marry her, then divorce her and pay the handsome sum of $50000 for doing so. Too good to be true, well her companion Emma certainly thinks so especially when another leading lady is offered the same deal. The plot moves from Hollywood to Broadway and is so fast moving with everything 1920’s New York has to offer.
I really enjoyed this one, a real page turner.
I really enjoyed this one, a real page turner.
March 4, 2026
2 1/2 stars. Hambly really knows how to give the reader a sense of time and place in her historical novels. She delivers again in this Silver Screen Historical Mystery that takes place in 1924 that starts in Hollywood and then to New York where the filming of a movie takes places. There are plenty of real historical people in the story, including the Marx Brothers. But in this case, that is part of the problem. There are too many people to keep track of and the story takes a while to really get going. Once it does, there is plenty of action. Not my favorite in the series but I really do like the main characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2026
This wasn't for me. Sounded good from the description but didn't work for me at all.
First off there were way too many characters, and they were all introduced much too quickly in the first few chapters. Trying to keep straight who was who and what their roles in the story were was very confusing.
I also found most of the characters I could remember quite unpleasant.
Then there was the marriage proposal by letter that starts off the book and then we hear nothing more about it for a number of chapters. The narrative here felt very choppy and disconnected to me. The flow was really off.
This is the first book by this author I've tried and it will probably also be the last. Just not for me.
First off there were way too many characters, and they were all introduced much too quickly in the first few chapters. Trying to keep straight who was who and what their roles in the story were was very confusing.
I also found most of the characters I could remember quite unpleasant.
Then there was the marriage proposal by letter that starts off the book and then we hear nothing more about it for a number of chapters. The narrative here felt very choppy and disconnected to me. The flow was really off.
This is the first book by this author I've tried and it will probably also be the last. Just not for me.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Another great entry in this series set in the 1920s film world. The change of action from Hollywood to New York City lets the author introduce new characters and aspects of the film industry, which makes an interesting change from the previous installments in the series. The plot is complex, but the author brings together the strands in a believable way. The main character and amateur detective, Emma Blackstone, is delightful, and her developing relationship with a studio cameraman gives the story real warmth. Somewhere between 4 and 5 stars so rounding up. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher Severn House for the eARC.
April 26, 2026
An intriguing and well written historical fiction murder mystery set within my favorite decade (even though I never lived in it) delving into the vast array of people living in that time period- movie stars, mobsters and people working in speakeasys, the atmosphere within this story was on par with the decade and set the background well for the story as a whole.
The characters were all unique in their own ways- the only drawback for me was the slow pacing of the plot at times within the book which at times made it a bit of a struggle but overall an enjoyable read.
Thankyou to Net galley and Severn House for an arc of this story.
The characters were all unique in their own ways- the only drawback for me was the slow pacing of the plot at times within the book which at times made it a bit of a struggle but overall an enjoyable read.
Thankyou to Net galley and Severn House for an arc of this story.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is the fourth book in the Silver Screens Historical Mystery series. I didn’t read the first three but didn’t find it hard to read this one, though I think having read the previous books would have helped me with knowing the characters.
Silent movie star, Camille de la Rose (Kitty) is with het companion, dog walker and dearest friend,Emily Blackstone, when a devoted fan offers Kitty $50,000 to marry him (it’s 1924). When this suitor is later found dead, it’s off to the races to discover the murderer.
The strengths of this book are its character-driven plot and the marvelous descriptions and feel for 1920s and the glamour of the silver screen. This is a good fit for historical fiction mystery lovers.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for allowing me to read this ARC.
Silent movie star, Camille de la Rose (Kitty) is with het companion, dog walker and dearest friend,Emily Blackstone, when a devoted fan offers Kitty $50,000 to marry him (it’s 1924). When this suitor is later found dead, it’s off to the races to discover the murderer.
The strengths of this book are its character-driven plot and the marvelous descriptions and feel for 1920s and the glamour of the silver screen. This is a good fit for historical fiction mystery lovers.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for allowing me to read this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Really loved it! This stuck out to me because of the time period and details. And the murder mystery aspect was perfection. Written in third person limited, I loved the story and being transported to this time. Kitty was my favorite character, but it was a page turning and unforgettable story overall! The details and flow of the story really worked for me. Will definitely check out Barbara Hambly again! Highly recommend. 4.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and author for this advanced copy!
Thank you to NetGalley and author for this advanced copy!
March 4, 2026
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Barbara Hambly for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Death in the Palace coming out March 3, 2026. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I need to read the other ones. I love old Hollywood. I really love historical fiction. I thought the characters were interesting. I would check out other books by this author.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I need to read the other ones. I love old Hollywood. I really love historical fiction. I thought the characters were interesting. I would check out other books by this author.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Action-packed and fun historical mystery with some great plotting and a fantastic historical mystery work. Would recommend this one quite a bit. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
An action packed historical mystery featuring many stars of the silver screen! I have not read the first three books, but Hambly catches you up fairly well. At times, the amount of real people in one spot somewhat strains credulity but I enjoyed reading this and sped through it.
March 31, 2026
Good mystery, fun book
Great characters. Interesting to read about making silent movies. Lots of shady stuff going on. Emma and Zal make a good couple. Kitty is always fun. Read this series in order for the most enjoyment. I have enjoyed everything I've read by this author.
Great characters. Interesting to read about making silent movies. Lots of shady stuff going on. Emma and Zal make a good couple. Kitty is always fun. Read this series in order for the most enjoyment. I have enjoyed everything I've read by this author.
April 21, 2026
The crew head to New York!
A complicated dance of affairs, loyalties, and marriages cause utter chaos when a star is murdered. Emma, Kitty, and Zal find themselves sorting through everything to find what was real and what was just poor acting.
A complicated dance of affairs, loyalties, and marriages cause utter chaos when a star is murdered. Emma, Kitty, and Zal find themselves sorting through everything to find what was real and what was just poor acting.
Want to Read
February 23, 2026O
March 8, 2026
Another well-researched historical mystery set in 1925 Hollywood and New York. A good story.
Want to Read
April 20, 2026I'm confused as to why this book isn't available in Kindle format in Canada! I can buy it as a hardcover, I can buy it as an e-book on other Canadian platforms, but I can't buy it on Kindle.
July 5, 2026
I only recently discovered this series, so it was so fun to get a brand-new one so quickly!
June 21, 2026
Still Disappointing
I love Barbara Hambly’s earlier work, but this is just awful. Maybe AI written? It makes me sad since I have all her fantasy books and some of the Benjamin January mysteries, read and re-read ever since she came out with the Darvath Trilogy. Please read her early work.
I love Barbara Hambly’s earlier work, but this is just awful. Maybe AI written? It makes me sad since I have all her fantasy books and some of the Benjamin January mysteries, read and re-read ever since she came out with the Darvath Trilogy. Please read her early work.
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