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Lillian Frost & Edith Head #2
Dangerous to Know
Classic Hollywood. Silver Screen Style. Vintage Murder. A champagne cocktail of a mystery covered in movie magic stardust
December 1938. Lillian Frost has plunged head first into a world of boldfaced names and endless glamour as social secretary to movie-mad millionaire Addison Rice. Costume designer Edith Head is now in charge of Paramount Pictures’ wardrobe department, although her position is precarious: potential replacements are being auditioned on a regular basis. The two friends again become partners thanks to an international scandal: a real-life incident, a historical footnot long forgotten, in which the war clouds gathering over Europe cast a shadow on Hollywood.
At a swanky Manhattan dinner party the well-heeled guests speak ill of Adolf Hitler in front of a German maid with Nazi sympathies. The secrets she spills soon have all of New York society running for cover--and two of Paramount’s biggest stars, Jack Benny and George Burns, facing smuggling charges.
When an émigré composer seeking work at Paramount is found dead, Marlene Dietrich tells Edith she blames agents of the Reich. As Lillian and Edith unravel intrigue that extends from Paramount’s fabled Bronson Gate to FDR’s Oval Office, only one thing is certain: they’ll do it in style.
December 1938. Lillian Frost has plunged head first into a world of boldfaced names and endless glamour as social secretary to movie-mad millionaire Addison Rice. Costume designer Edith Head is now in charge of Paramount Pictures’ wardrobe department, although her position is precarious: potential replacements are being auditioned on a regular basis. The two friends again become partners thanks to an international scandal: a real-life incident, a historical footnot long forgotten, in which the war clouds gathering over Europe cast a shadow on Hollywood.
At a swanky Manhattan dinner party the well-heeled guests speak ill of Adolf Hitler in front of a German maid with Nazi sympathies. The secrets she spills soon have all of New York society running for cover--and two of Paramount’s biggest stars, Jack Benny and George Burns, facing smuggling charges.
When an émigré composer seeking work at Paramount is found dead, Marlene Dietrich tells Edith she blames agents of the Reich. As Lillian and Edith unravel intrigue that extends from Paramount’s fabled Bronson Gate to FDR’s Oval Office, only one thing is certain: they’ll do it in style.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 11, 2017
45 people are currently reading
872 people want to read
About the author
Renee Patrick
6 books132 followersRenee Patrick is the pseudonym for married authors Rosemarie and Vince Keenan. Rosemarie is a research administrator and a poet. Vince is a screenwriter and a journalist. Both native New Yorkers, they currently live in Seattle, Washington.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
April 13, 2017
Dangerous to Know is a fantastic read! I enjoyed the first book in the series, Design for Dying, starring Edith Head and Lillian Frost as sleuths and was very excited to read this one. The book is set in 1938 Hollywood and, and the plot is loosely based on a real scandal called the Albert Chapereau affair that involved Jack Benny and George Burns. Renee Patrick, a husband and wife team writing under this pseudonym, weave a highly entertaining tale interspersed with tons of Hollywood references and fun facts about actors and actresses from that era. I spent as much time looking up people and places in 1930’s Hollywood as I did reading the book.
Lillian Frost and Edith Head are a great team, and Lillian Frost in particular is outstanding – she is smart, creative, funny and independent. She loves movies which allows the authors to include numerous movies and movie facts from Hollywood’s Golden Age in the Dangerous to Know. One of my favorite parts was the references to Gone with the Wind which was just beginning filming during the time period in which the book is set. Lillian Frost, Edith Head and several other characters spend a fair amount of time speculating who will be cast as Scarlett O’Hara – I had no idea so many others were considered before Vivian Leigh was finally cast. Nor did I know that a number of scenes were filmed before Leigh was cast including the burning of Tara. I also enjoyed learning about the Nazi infestation of Southern California in the late 1930’s and the process by which German emigres working in Hollywood gained U.S. citizenship when German quotas were full. The authors clearly did their research.
The authors’ vocabulary is outstanding; I learned so many new words while reading Dangerous to Know. The writing is clever and witty, and I absolutely loved reading this book. I cannot wait for the next installment in the series.
Lillian Frost and Edith Head are a great team, and Lillian Frost in particular is outstanding – she is smart, creative, funny and independent. She loves movies which allows the authors to include numerous movies and movie facts from Hollywood’s Golden Age in the Dangerous to Know. One of my favorite parts was the references to Gone with the Wind which was just beginning filming during the time period in which the book is set. Lillian Frost, Edith Head and several other characters spend a fair amount of time speculating who will be cast as Scarlett O’Hara – I had no idea so many others were considered before Vivian Leigh was finally cast. Nor did I know that a number of scenes were filmed before Leigh was cast including the burning of Tara. I also enjoyed learning about the Nazi infestation of Southern California in the late 1930’s and the process by which German emigres working in Hollywood gained U.S. citizenship when German quotas were full. The authors clearly did their research.
The authors’ vocabulary is outstanding; I learned so many new words while reading Dangerous to Know. The writing is clever and witty, and I absolutely loved reading this book. I cannot wait for the next installment in the series.
August 25, 2017
I loved Design for Dying, the first book in this series written by a husband and wife team, pen name Renee Patrick. I said in that review:
1937 Hollywood - the clothes, the movies, the movie stars, aspiring starlets, lavish parties, down-at-the-heals diners, crackling dialog, witty noir-lite writing, and a murder to be solved.
And this second in the series is no different except it's December of 1938. This outing features Nazis, Nazi spies, Leni Riefenstahl, Anti-Nazi organizations and spies, smuggling European treasures into the U.S. to avoid paying tariffs to the government, off-shore gambling boats, the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, Jack Benny, George Burns, Hedy Lamaar, along with the cast of Hollywood-based characters introduced in the first book. I enjoyed reading in the afterward that many of the incidents in the book are inspired by real people and events. So fun to read that I've already declared this a favorite series after only two books!
I learned about this series from a spot on NPR by Nancy Pearl about page-turners for summer reading. http://www.npr.org/2017/06/29/5347099... Pearl is always reliable in her recommendations!
I hope these authors are hard at work on Lillian Frost & Edith Head #3!!
1937 Hollywood - the clothes, the movies, the movie stars, aspiring starlets, lavish parties, down-at-the-heals diners, crackling dialog, witty noir-lite writing, and a murder to be solved.
And this second in the series is no different except it's December of 1938. This outing features Nazis, Nazi spies, Leni Riefenstahl, Anti-Nazi organizations and spies, smuggling European treasures into the U.S. to avoid paying tariffs to the government, off-shore gambling boats, the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, Jack Benny, George Burns, Hedy Lamaar, along with the cast of Hollywood-based characters introduced in the first book. I enjoyed reading in the afterward that many of the incidents in the book are inspired by real people and events. So fun to read that I've already declared this a favorite series after only two books!
I learned about this series from a spot on NPR by Nancy Pearl about page-turners for summer reading. http://www.npr.org/2017/06/29/5347099... Pearl is always reliable in her recommendations!
I hope these authors are hard at work on Lillian Frost & Edith Head #3!!
July 25, 2017
In December 1938, an FBI investigation into the smuggling activities of Albert Chaperau has reached the doors of Paramount, where Edith Head is the head of costumes. Since Lillian Frost was at the dinner party where Albert was exposed, she finds herself involved in attempts to head off the investigation. Meanwhile, Lillian is also looking into the disappearance of Jens Lahse. No one has seen him for a week. Where could he have gone?
This book plunges us into the world of old Hollywood, and doesn’t let us out. Real and fictional blend seamlessly on the page, all of them coming to wonderful life. The book takes time to lay the foundation of both stories and introduce the characters, but once that happens, it is off and running and hard to put down. Add in a touch of Christmas, and you have a very charming book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
This book plunges us into the world of old Hollywood, and doesn’t let us out. Real and fictional blend seamlessly on the page, all of them coming to wonderful life. The book takes time to lay the foundation of both stories and introduce the characters, but once that happens, it is off and running and hard to put down. Add in a touch of Christmas, and you have a very charming book.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
March 15, 2019
The Lillian Frost and Edith Head series is a great idea. Take two women with inside access to a wide array of Hollywood moviedom in the 1930s (and, I assume it will also go into the 1940s), and make them amateur detectives. Edith Head is the famous costumer, while Lillian Frost is wholly fictitious but is the real protagonist.
Author Renee Patrick is the husband-and-wife team of Rosemarie and Vince Keenan, and what a team they are. Their plots incorporate real Hollywood stories, and not necessarily the well-known ones. In Dangerous to Know, two of these stories are incorporated; one of a customs avoidance operation that ensnared comedy legends George Burns and Jack Benny, and the second of Jewish movie moguls who funded an undercover operation to combat the pre-war infiltration of American life by Nazis.
Filled with intrigue and Hollywood glamor, this is a fast-paced and entertaining tale that I wish I could see as a black-and-white movie thriller.
Author Renee Patrick is the husband-and-wife team of Rosemarie and Vince Keenan, and what a team they are. Their plots incorporate real Hollywood stories, and not necessarily the well-known ones. In Dangerous to Know, two of these stories are incorporated; one of a customs avoidance operation that ensnared comedy legends George Burns and Jack Benny, and the second of Jewish movie moguls who funded an undercover operation to combat the pre-war infiltration of American life by Nazis.
Filled with intrigue and Hollywood glamor, this is a fast-paced and entertaining tale that I wish I could see as a black-and-white movie thriller.
October 5, 2017
Was slightly less into this than the first one.
Lillian and Edith continue to be delightful. I enjoy Lillian in the context of her new job. That is fun. She's not even a bad amateur sleuth. I also continue to enjoy the heck out of the setting, and random actors cropping up from time to time. Edith struggling to find herself in her new role as head designer and trying just a bit too hard also works.
Unfortunately, not all of the character work goes as well. Notably:
1. Kay. I loved Kay as hard-nosed aspiring reporter in the first book, but in this one, after having a bit of success, I feel like it gets pushed a bit too far the other way. Like she's such a hard-nosed career woman that she only has time for her friends if they can get her a story? Le sigh. It just felt a bit much. Nothing wrong with being career-driven, but this felt a bit much, especially considering Kay and Lillian's dynamic in book one.
2. Gene. I get the whole, he feels guilt about his previous partner's death, and is good friends with said partner's widow, but the whole thing where she's set up as a barrier to Lillian and Gene's relationship feels ridiculously contrived, in that he brings her on every one of their dates. I get that he feels guilty about her being home alone, but dude, every one? If he brought her sometimes, and Lillian got in a snit about it, I could see him having a case for, "she's a good friend going through a tough time and I'm being supportive," but it's hard to have any sympathy for that viewpoint when it's every one. Even if it was two-thirds of the planned dates, it would be more interesting. Much like the Kay thing, I feel like if this had gone a half step less far, it would have been better. As it is, it means that Lillian's second (sort of) love interest makes sense in the context of the story, even if he's way less interesting.
I just wish this had been slightly less extreme in its character work, if that makes sense.
Lillian and Edith continue to be delightful. I enjoy Lillian in the context of her new job. That is fun. She's not even a bad amateur sleuth. I also continue to enjoy the heck out of the setting, and random actors cropping up from time to time. Edith struggling to find herself in her new role as head designer and trying just a bit too hard also works.
Unfortunately, not all of the character work goes as well. Notably:
1. Kay. I loved Kay as hard-nosed aspiring reporter in the first book, but in this one, after having a bit of success, I feel like it gets pushed a bit too far the other way. Like she's such a hard-nosed career woman that she only has time for her friends if they can get her a story? Le sigh. It just felt a bit much. Nothing wrong with being career-driven, but this felt a bit much, especially considering Kay and Lillian's dynamic in book one.
2. Gene. I get the whole, he feels guilt about his previous partner's death, and is good friends with said partner's widow, but the whole thing where she's set up as a barrier to Lillian and Gene's relationship feels ridiculously contrived, in that he brings her on every one of their dates. I get that he feels guilty about her being home alone, but dude, every one? If he brought her sometimes, and Lillian got in a snit about it, I could see him having a case for, "she's a good friend going through a tough time and I'm being supportive," but it's hard to have any sympathy for that viewpoint when it's every one. Even if it was two-thirds of the planned dates, it would be more interesting. Much like the Kay thing, I feel like if this had gone a half step less far, it would have been better. As it is, it means that Lillian's second (sort of) love interest makes sense in the context of the story, even if he's way less interesting.
I just wish this had been slightly less extreme in its character work, if that makes sense.
May 7, 2018
Lillian Frost is back with Edith Head. This time, Marlene Dietrich asks her to find a composer that is missing. She does, only he is dead. Throw in a smuggling investigation with George Burns and the FBI. Only there are also Nazis and spies. Another fun installment in the series. Agatha nominated. Lots of fun and twists and memorable characters. I love this series! and the CLOTHES!
January 8, 2018
Mon avis en Français
My English review
I had a great time with the first volume. Lillian’s investigations are interesting and full of twists and turns. Besides, our heroine has to face a new problem. Indeed, Marlene Dietrich is looking for one of her old friends, a German emigrant, whom she wants to hire for his talents as a pianist. But it seems that he has disappeared.
In a background of World War II, or at least with the echoes of the Nazism in Hollywood, Lillian will set foot in a story that surpasses her. Between American spies and Nazi spies, our heroine will not know where to turn to. With the war approaching rapidly, no one knows what to think and the population is quietly deciding. Lillian’s adventures will lead her to meet many characters and when she discovers the body of the man she was looking for, she will realize that others wanted to find him. Monitored by all, our heroine will try to disentangle the true from the false with the help of her friends.
During this investigation, she will cross the road of a driver: Simon. He is an enigmatic man, hard to pin down and of whom it will be difficult to know on which side he is. I really enjoyed seeing his interactions with Lillian and I confess that I am curious to see what the sequel will bring us. Of course, there is Gene too, but it’s also difficult to decide on him. His relationship with Lillian is quite strange and complicated.
In any case, I had a great time once again with this story and I hope that we will have more because I am curious to discover a new investigation!
My English review
I had a great time with the first volume. Lillian’s investigations are interesting and full of twists and turns. Besides, our heroine has to face a new problem. Indeed, Marlene Dietrich is looking for one of her old friends, a German emigrant, whom she wants to hire for his talents as a pianist. But it seems that he has disappeared.
In a background of World War II, or at least with the echoes of the Nazism in Hollywood, Lillian will set foot in a story that surpasses her. Between American spies and Nazi spies, our heroine will not know where to turn to. With the war approaching rapidly, no one knows what to think and the population is quietly deciding. Lillian’s adventures will lead her to meet many characters and when she discovers the body of the man she was looking for, she will realize that others wanted to find him. Monitored by all, our heroine will try to disentangle the true from the false with the help of her friends.
During this investigation, she will cross the road of a driver: Simon. He is an enigmatic man, hard to pin down and of whom it will be difficult to know on which side he is. I really enjoyed seeing his interactions with Lillian and I confess that I am curious to see what the sequel will bring us. Of course, there is Gene too, but it’s also difficult to decide on him. His relationship with Lillian is quite strange and complicated.
In any case, I had a great time once again with this story and I hope that we will have more because I am curious to discover a new investigation!
June 19, 2018
second in a series set in interwar (closer to WWII) Hollywood. Too many threads and so becomes muddled. I like the setting well enough and there are some interesting characters. Just too much going on. Be better if the next one is simpler. IMHO.
June 2, 2017
Renee Patrick is the pseudonym for the dynamic writing husband and wife team Rosemarie and Vince Keenan. Last year's release of Design for Dying (Lillian Frost and Edith Head #1) was met with rave reviews and has been nominated for several awards. Design for Dying is a cozy, behind-the-scenes mystery surrounding Hollywood's Golden Age. You have atmosphere, glitz and glamour, and murder, of course. Not to mention two intelligent women who steal the show. Dangerous to Know is the second book starring this amateur crime-fighting duo.
After the success they had in Design for Dying, Edith and Lillian have built a bit of a reputation for themselves. So much so, when Marlene Dietrich comes knocking insisting they investigate the disappearance of a composer, they agree. The mystery launches them head-first into a plethora of espionage, gangsters, cover-ups, FBI investigations, starlets, and secrets. Patrick uses "a real-life incident, a historical footnote long forgotten, in which the war clouds gathering over Europe cast a shadow on Hollywood."
I love old movies. I love how glamorous everything seemed in 1930's Hollywood. I loved the clothes, the cars, the panache lifestyle. Renee Patrick takes you back to when glamour rules, gossip is king, and everybody has a secret. Dangerous to Know is a noir with two classy ladies who are whip smart and savvy. It's a nod at the classics and it will keep you guessing until the very end. Lillian Frost and Edith Head are an unstoppable force to be reckoned with and I can't wait for their next adventure.
Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2017...
After the success they had in Design for Dying, Edith and Lillian have built a bit of a reputation for themselves. So much so, when Marlene Dietrich comes knocking insisting they investigate the disappearance of a composer, they agree. The mystery launches them head-first into a plethora of espionage, gangsters, cover-ups, FBI investigations, starlets, and secrets. Patrick uses "a real-life incident, a historical footnote long forgotten, in which the war clouds gathering over Europe cast a shadow on Hollywood."
I love old movies. I love how glamorous everything seemed in 1930's Hollywood. I loved the clothes, the cars, the panache lifestyle. Renee Patrick takes you back to when glamour rules, gossip is king, and everybody has a secret. Dangerous to Know is a noir with two classy ladies who are whip smart and savvy. It's a nod at the classics and it will keep you guessing until the very end. Lillian Frost and Edith Head are an unstoppable force to be reckoned with and I can't wait for their next adventure.
Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2017...
September 22, 2019
I tried really hard to really like this book. I never quite got there. Still, it was okay and it had its good points.
The first good point is that because the main character - Lillian Frost - is friends with Edith Head, there is a lot of fun fashion bits and I did enjoy that. Hearing about the iconic designs and the clothing the actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood wore was entertaining.
I also enjoyed the name-dropping of the actors and actresses of that amazing time that worked its way through the book. The authors worked in some very clever connections between the fictional story and the real people of the time and that also was fun.
Finally, the writing in this book was also clever. It had a cheeky snappy repartee kind of humour that I did find entertaining and fun.
With all the above, however, I was never super into the main plot of this book. Maybe it was because it was involving Nazis. I've been over books about Nazis for awhile, and I usually stay away from them because I'm just not into that. Whatever the reason, I sort of coasted through this book, never really feeling transported into the world in the way a really amazing book takes you. This was okay, and for another sort of reader it could absolutely be a great read. It wasn't that for me.
The first good point is that because the main character - Lillian Frost - is friends with Edith Head, there is a lot of fun fashion bits and I did enjoy that. Hearing about the iconic designs and the clothing the actresses of the Golden Age of Hollywood wore was entertaining.
I also enjoyed the name-dropping of the actors and actresses of that amazing time that worked its way through the book. The authors worked in some very clever connections between the fictional story and the real people of the time and that also was fun.
Finally, the writing in this book was also clever. It had a cheeky snappy repartee kind of humour that I did find entertaining and fun.
With all the above, however, I was never super into the main plot of this book. Maybe it was because it was involving Nazis. I've been over books about Nazis for awhile, and I usually stay away from them because I'm just not into that. Whatever the reason, I sort of coasted through this book, never really feeling transported into the world in the way a really amazing book takes you. This was okay, and for another sort of reader it could absolutely be a great read. It wasn't that for me.
December 2, 2018
The first installment was great fun, but this... not so much.
The basic theme is good enough; the German community in Los Angels and Hollywood (some Nazis, some anti-Nazis, some Jewish of course...) and the implications with a possible war looming at the horizon. Yeah. Could have been interesting really.
Our heroine Lillian doesn't come on as quite as spunky this time though and Edith Head is rarely seen and when she does appear it often seems a bit forced, as if the authors have found it hard to give her a natural role in the story. Worst of all is the plot itself however. It's a complete mess. Keeping track of what's happening and why is a chore. The red thread is simply too thin, if it's there at all. Not even the presence of Marlene Dietrich or Errol Flynn manages to get the juices flowing. It's all frustratingly flat, uninspired and muddled beyond belief.
2 weak stars (mere starlets really) to a disappointing development of the series. One can only hope that Lillian and Edith find their high heeled footing again, straighten the seams of their silk stockings and struts along towards a stronger, more captivating and frivolous adventure next.
The basic theme is good enough; the German community in Los Angels and Hollywood (some Nazis, some anti-Nazis, some Jewish of course...) and the implications with a possible war looming at the horizon. Yeah. Could have been interesting really.
Our heroine Lillian doesn't come on as quite as spunky this time though and Edith Head is rarely seen and when she does appear it often seems a bit forced, as if the authors have found it hard to give her a natural role in the story. Worst of all is the plot itself however. It's a complete mess. Keeping track of what's happening and why is a chore. The red thread is simply too thin, if it's there at all. Not even the presence of Marlene Dietrich or Errol Flynn manages to get the juices flowing. It's all frustratingly flat, uninspired and muddled beyond belief.
2 weak stars (mere starlets really) to a disappointing development of the series. One can only hope that Lillian and Edith find their high heeled footing again, straighten the seams of their silk stockings and struts along towards a stronger, more captivating and frivolous adventure next.
May 30, 2017
I really should give this book a higher rating since it is probably my ignorance of Hollywood history in the 1930's which detracted from the story. However, I do believe stories should entertain without having to read non-fiction first. A promising series if more character development vs less history and plot formula occurs
May 8, 2017
A bit muddled, but I liked it. Looking forward to the next in the series.
April 20, 2023
This is the second book in this series and I definitely enjoyed it. Lots of information about Hollywood, the FBI, Nazi's, etc in the 1930's that I had never heard before. The mystery involves the murder of a man Lillian had been looking for as requested by Edith. Lillian finds the body -- thrown off the deck of a cabin in the hills. In the midst of her search to find the killer, Lillian gets in the middle of a FBI hunt for folks breaking the law by bringing items into the US illegally. It all comes together in a scene between Lillian and the murderer while on a boat!
June 9, 2017
Pre-World War II. Los Angeles, California. 1938.
Lillian Frost is a friend and protege of Edith Head. Edith Head works at Paramount as a costume designer. At one time, Frost was an actress. Some of Frost's current duties as secretary to a society millionaire is attending swanky parties. At one of the parties, Hitler is insulted. People who are pro-Hitler are angry. A murder happens.
The tone of the story is not something I'm used to. It's a mix of strong wit versus a serious back drop of a world war looming along with its dangerous ideology.
Frost and Head get together often for Hollywood gossip. Actors drop in to Head's office. They mingle together at parties and clubs. It literally is its own world. Several Hollywood stars are mentioned and apart of the story: Errol Flynn, Hedy Lamarr, Marlene Dietrich, and Dorothy Parker. One of the conversations the two women talk about is who is going to portray Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With The Wind?
My favorite time period is the 1930s and 1940s. I love the films, music, and clothing. I love reading about the history of the Great Depression and World War II. Dangerous To Know is not a history piece in itself. It uses Hitler's ideology, and the looming war, and makes it the backdrop and focal point of why the murder happened. I do feel the story is believable because of strong references to the era. Even the language of the characters reflect the time period.
Dangerous To Know is a great vacation read. It's an entertaining mystery piece without becoming too heavy to digest.
Source: Free copy from Forge Books.
Lillian Frost is a friend and protege of Edith Head. Edith Head works at Paramount as a costume designer. At one time, Frost was an actress. Some of Frost's current duties as secretary to a society millionaire is attending swanky parties. At one of the parties, Hitler is insulted. People who are pro-Hitler are angry. A murder happens.
The tone of the story is not something I'm used to. It's a mix of strong wit versus a serious back drop of a world war looming along with its dangerous ideology.
Frost and Head get together often for Hollywood gossip. Actors drop in to Head's office. They mingle together at parties and clubs. It literally is its own world. Several Hollywood stars are mentioned and apart of the story: Errol Flynn, Hedy Lamarr, Marlene Dietrich, and Dorothy Parker. One of the conversations the two women talk about is who is going to portray Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With The Wind?
My favorite time period is the 1930s and 1940s. I love the films, music, and clothing. I love reading about the history of the Great Depression and World War II. Dangerous To Know is not a history piece in itself. It uses Hitler's ideology, and the looming war, and makes it the backdrop and focal point of why the murder happened. I do feel the story is believable because of strong references to the era. Even the language of the characters reflect the time period.
Dangerous To Know is a great vacation read. It's an entertaining mystery piece without becoming too heavy to digest.
Source: Free copy from Forge Books.
June 19, 2018
"...I can't go on reading papers and watching newsreels hoping everything will work out. I have to do something... I mean, the Nazis already invaded my apartment."
Lillian, now a social secretary, isn't content with only rubbing shoulders with 1938 Hollywood glamour while the cloud of the Reich descends in Europe and reaches across the ocean. When a composer seeking work at Paramount Pictures is found dead, Lillian partners with her friend Edith, Paramount's lead costume designer, to unravel the latest mystery on their hands in Dangerous to Know by authors Renee Patrick.
I enjoyed the first Lillian Frost & Edith Head novel, and this second novel's ties to the imminent Second World War most compelled me to read it.
I'll admit, though, I fluctuated between moments of being engrossed in this one and stretches where the story all but lost my interest.
Where the romance thread is concerned, although I like Lillian's dry wit overall, she might be a little too dry as a romantic character. And, even with the beginnings of attraction in the first book, one of her love interests isn't compelling enough to make me see why he's still in the running for her. He just doesn't seem like someone who's ready to pursue a woman.
I'm glad I made it to the mystery's climactic stage, which is the best part. While I didn't enjoy this read as much as the first, I'll still keep my eyes open for more from this joint author, particularly to see if another Lillian and Edith novel will go deeper into the war.
Lillian, now a social secretary, isn't content with only rubbing shoulders with 1938 Hollywood glamour while the cloud of the Reich descends in Europe and reaches across the ocean. When a composer seeking work at Paramount Pictures is found dead, Lillian partners with her friend Edith, Paramount's lead costume designer, to unravel the latest mystery on their hands in Dangerous to Know by authors Renee Patrick.
I enjoyed the first Lillian Frost & Edith Head novel, and this second novel's ties to the imminent Second World War most compelled me to read it.
I'll admit, though, I fluctuated between moments of being engrossed in this one and stretches where the story all but lost my interest.
Where the romance thread is concerned, although I like Lillian's dry wit overall, she might be a little too dry as a romantic character. And, even with the beginnings of attraction in the first book, one of her love interests isn't compelling enough to make me see why he's still in the running for her. He just doesn't seem like someone who's ready to pursue a woman.
I'm glad I made it to the mystery's climactic stage, which is the best part. While I didn't enjoy this read as much as the first, I'll still keep my eyes open for more from this joint author, particularly to see if another Lillian and Edith novel will go deeper into the war.
September 16, 2017
Reading Renee Patrick's Lillian Frost and Edith Head mysteries is like walking into Old Hollywood; you never know who's going to have a cameo role. So much of the plot is based on actual events-- like Jack Benny and George Burns facing smuggling charges-- that readers get a real sense of life in the movie industry before the U.S. enters World War II.
For some reason, I'm having a difficult time warming to Lillian Frost, and I don't know why. I can certainly sympathize with what Edith Head had to endure-- being considered the cheapest alternative while the studio brought in a continuous round of prospective replacements. Edith is a good foil to Lillian and does provide the younger woman with sound advice. Frost's new job as social secretary helps give her the entrée into Hollywood society that she needs in order to conduct her investigations.
The writing team of Renee Patrick is adept at creating absorbing, complex mysteries that keep the pages turning. Anyone with even a minuscule interest in old Hollywood movies and stars should enjoy their Frost and Head mysteries. In fact, the books are so good that readers unfamiliar with the territory may find themselves becoming fans, too.
For some reason, I'm having a difficult time warming to Lillian Frost, and I don't know why. I can certainly sympathize with what Edith Head had to endure-- being considered the cheapest alternative while the studio brought in a continuous round of prospective replacements. Edith is a good foil to Lillian and does provide the younger woman with sound advice. Frost's new job as social secretary helps give her the entrée into Hollywood society that she needs in order to conduct her investigations.
The writing team of Renee Patrick is adept at creating absorbing, complex mysteries that keep the pages turning. Anyone with even a minuscule interest in old Hollywood movies and stars should enjoy their Frost and Head mysteries. In fact, the books are so good that readers unfamiliar with the territory may find themselves becoming fans, too.
April 18, 2017
I'm a sucker for historical mysteries and anything to do with classic Hollywood. You put the two of them together and I'm a happy girl. DANGEROUS TO KNOW is the 2nd book in the Lillian Frost/Edith Head mysteries and I'm happy to say that Renee Patrick has successfully navigated the sophomore slump. This mystery was just as engaging as the first with a bonus that Patrick uses an actual case as it were as a jumping off point to explore expatriates living in Hollywood, Nazi's, and what happens when you try to cheat customs! Lillian is still a pistol, still trying to navigate her new job as is Edith who is now head of the costume department at Paramount. What I loved most about the book were the little details, Lillian taking the streetcar to get around Los Angeles, the costume fittings at Paramount, even the cameos from film stars never felt forced or shoehorned into the plot. Edith Head is a great co-hort and the scenes where Lillian and Edith put their heads together to solve the mystery are fantastic. I will admit that this book started a little slower than the first one but when it got going, it paid off big time.
June 29, 2017
Free Google Reward | Just as enjoyable as the first in the series, a pleasant read despite the villain not being a surprise. | The only real problem with this series is that it's so heavily (and delightfully) populated by real people that the real suspects are drastically narrowed. That said, I enjoyed this quite a lot, found the bits of actual history fascinating, and was glad to get more Lillian and Edith (and Gene, too!). I'm unimpressed by Lillian's new potential love interest, and even more bored by her even being interested, but that may wane as the series progresses. My only real complaint is that after doing such a surprisingly good job of making the first book feel properly set geographically, this one did not feel at all like Southern California. Every mention of it being the holiday season was jarring. I know that non-Californians find it difficult to recognize winter in the LA area, but it's actually a very different weather pattern from the rest of the year, and Lillian didn't experience that at all. In the grand scheme, though, minor quibble. I'll seek out the future books once they're written and published.
March 4, 2018
Nominated for a 2017 Agatha for Best Historical Fiction, this is the second installment in the Lillian Frost and Edith Head series. While it probably would have been helpful to have read the first book in the series before reading this one, it was fairly easy to get up to speed on the main characters and get immersed in the plot. The story takes place in 1938 in Hollywood, with many real Silver Screen stars, such as Marlene Dietrich, making cameo appearances throughout the story. The hunt for Nazis and Nazi-sympathizers is going strong during this time frame, adding to the tension. The authors did an excellent job of weaving in historical research in a way that enhanced the story, and also added a sense of time and place.
In addition to reading this for its Agatha nomination, I'm using it for the 2018 PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge prompt "a book by two authors" since Renee Patrick is a pen name for the husband and wife writing duo who created the series.
In addition to reading this for its Agatha nomination, I'm using it for the 2018 PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge prompt "a book by two authors" since Renee Patrick is a pen name for the husband and wife writing duo who created the series.
May 1, 2019
Really love this series and wish there were more than just the two entries. Edith Head was less central to the action this time serving mainly as entre to the Hollywood studio world and to provide knowledge of the movers and shakers necessary to let Lillian solve the mystery. Much less of the costume aspect which was what had drawn me to bk 1 but there was so much else in this rich stew of a book that I didn’t miss the fashions. Many, many characters; a name-dropping extravaganza-but always with a purpose, providing good info and relevance to the story. The authors really know the golden age of Hollywood. I learned so much about the ex-pat enclaves, the scandals, the private lives of movie icons, the pre-war Nazi influence in the US. Made a whole list of people and topics to follow up on.
August 5, 2017
This book gets top marks for weaving together some really fascinating true history with fiction. The influence on the Nazi part in Hollywood and the exodus of Germans, both Jewish and not makes for a good story. I missed Lillian's personal story a lot however. In the first book in this series she was central to the plot and her struggle to get by compelling. I realize giving her a stable job frees up space, but honestly much of the book felt like a bumper car ride jolting back and forth from one story to another. A bit more balance would be welcome. I'm really disliking Gene as well, he also has grown to be very flat and quite a tool honestly. Simon definitely is more interesting, checkered past or not.
June 10, 2018
The second entry in this series featuring social secretary Lillian Frost and costume designer Edith Head take place in December 1938. Leni Riefenstahl is in town trying to sell her magnum opus "Olympia." Nazi spies are sniffing around the edges of Hollywood looking for weaknesses to exploit. Ex-pats are gathering at the Santa Monica home of Salka Viertel. See, like Erroll Flynn, are flirting with isolationism. Others, like the Anti-Nazi League are fighting the threat when the FBI can't or won't. When an Austrian ex-pat composer is killed, Marlene Dietrich sets Lillian on the trail of his killer and Edith helps in every way she can. The dialogue is snappy, the mystery nicely convoluted and the plucky heroine is endearing. Great fun.
May 8, 2017
Excellent second entry in this new historical mystery series. It's 1938, Germany is on the march in Europe, exiles are flooding in Hollywood, a another Hollywood scandal is about to explode and detecting duo of Edith Head/Lillian Frost are facing the dark forces of fascism. But all is doom and gloom, a host of classic Hollywood stars drop to add glamour, laughs and action of Golden Age Filmdom. Now, dear reader, join this wild Hollywood party to lift a glass of champagne to all the actors, artists, studio heads and workers that made legends and films.
November 14, 2017
This was a library-browsing pick-up, chosen because it was blurbed by a number of authors whose writing I admire and love. I had not read the first installment, which was the one to which their blurbs referred, and so I came into this cold. It featured a lot of well-known names, none of whom, obviously, could be the killer. There were Nazis and FDR and movie stars and I thought it would be a lot more exciting than it was. I wanted Carole Lombard and Myrna Loy levels of sophistication and wit and madcap, black and white fun. This wasn't quite it for me.
July 4, 2017
Delicious, complex mystery & Hollywood love letter
Renee Patrick is hitting on all sixes in this second installment of the Lillian Frost/Edith Head mysteries. A respectful, fond, love letter to Hollywood's Golden Age woven into a well-written, complex mystery that continued to be pleasantly surprising all the way to the end. I'm hooked and I would like more now, please.
Renee Patrick is hitting on all sixes in this second installment of the Lillian Frost/Edith Head mysteries. A respectful, fond, love letter to Hollywood's Golden Age woven into a well-written, complex mystery that continued to be pleasantly surprising all the way to the end. I'm hooked and I would like more now, please.
July 24, 2017
Set in 1939 in Hollywood Lillian Frost is the investigator. She is a social secretary who also tries to find a lost person. Talks about being followed by FBI. Talks about societies of German Jewish immigrants and government attitude toward them. Edith Head costume designer at Paramount Studios is also a main character
June 4, 2020
In this case, for Lillian Frost the danger begins when her friend Edith Head introduces her to Marlene Dietrich. Towards the end, Lillian is also introduced to J. Edgar Hoover – definitely dangerous to know. She also meets a new man who is quite a bit more dangerous than her policeman sort-of boyfriend. Excellent characters in a satisfyingly complex plot.
May 1, 2019
I didn't enjoy this second novel in the Frost/Head series as much as I did the first one. While the plot is interesting, it takes a while to get going. Similarly, I enjoy the multiple appearances of real life characters like Jack Benny, George Burns, and Dorothy Parker but the ultimate effect feels shoehorned into the story. Still a nice and stylish diversion.
May 7, 2017
Another great addition to this new series. Not only is the setting Hollywoodland of ole, but the novels reads out just like a classic mystery from that era, so much so, I think my minds eye visualized the story in black and white as I read.
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