Entertainment critic and film noir author Carroll Quint gets a panicky call from his mother, former movie starlet Karen Kaas. Vicky Vandamn, a roommate of Karen’s some thirty years ago when they worked at Talbot Studios, disappeared from Hollywood under mysterious circumstances. Now she’s been found dead on her houseboat in nearby Sausalito, a reported suicide victim. Quint’s mother is certain that Vicky, who was involved with a rough Hollywood crowd, was murdered. Act like one of those private eyes in your book, dear, and find out who killed her.

Quint tries to do just that, and soon finds himself tangled up with lazy cops, a paranoid PI, a billionaire former movie-studio head, and a Peeping Tom-who kept a very close eye on Vandamn. When all appears to be lost, Quint’s mother comes up with a revealing old still photo and a clue involving Fred Astaire’s hands that set Quint on a collision course with the murderer.

Reviews

Kennealy infuses even high-stakes moments with a sense of light-hearted fun, and the plot is trickier to puzzle out than one might expect. -Publishers Weekly on Jigsaw

It’s fun to see Carroll squeezed between two cops who like him for two different crimes, and there’s lots of trivia for Hitchcock buffs. -Kirkus Reviews on Jigsaw

As always, Kennealy delivers hard-boiled excitement nicely dressed with humor and style. -Booklist on All That Glitters

Kennealy keeps a firm grip on his readers with a smart pace and a light, intelligent tone that’s never cute. We’re also treated to intriguing lore about investigating procedures in the electronic age, scenic and historic bits, and a lively background romance. -Publishers Weekly on Beggar’s Choice