Fallen Star by Allison Morse

Nov 08, 2016 Naturalbri (Bri Wignall) rated it really liked it

This was an excellent book. I felt it was written well, given depth and the premise of the story was very good. The overall book was just done so well, which made it very easy to fall in love with the story being told.

I liked the depth and individuality that the author gave each of the characters. This meant that I was constantly trying to get to know more about each of them, in order to decide which I felt a connection with and which of them I ultimately felt I didn’t care for.

I thought the p ...more

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Oct 12, 2017 Pegboard rated it it was amazing

This is a fabulous read - gripping, addictive and totally evocative of Hollywood in the Forties and in the Seventies. Kate Bloom is the grand-daughter of legendary Forties Hollywood actress, Gloria Reardon. Gloria’s life was cut short when she was murdered and mystery has surrounded the identity of her murderer ever since. Hot favourite for the crime is Gloria’s lover. Kate inherits her grandmother’s possessions on the death of her mother and is shocked to find long lost footage from Gloria’s la ...more

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Aug 13, 2018 Kristine Hall rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, adult, adult-for-ya, mystery, romance, suspense, action, audiobook, clean, relationships

Audio book review. In Fallen Star, the layers to the story peel away slowly so that readers know exactly whodunit and why – except they don’t! Author Allison Morse does a wonderful job of leading and then misleading readers again and again to keep things deliciously interesting. And then, there’s a lovely epilogue that takes readers ten years into the future, where everything is neatly resolved – until the very last sentence, that is!

"Gloria. Breathtaking Gloria, eclipsed the puny room, smili

Audio book review. In Fallen Star, the layers to the story peel away slowly so that readers know exactly whodunit and why – except they don’t! Author Allison Morse does a wonderful job of leading and then misleading readers again and again to keep things deliciously interesting. And then, there’s a lovely epilogue that takes readers ten years into the future, where everything is neatly resolved – until the very last sentence, that is!

"Gloria. Breathtaking Gloria, eclipsed the puny room, smiling as if she knew it couldn't possibly contain her dazzling self."

So, what’s all the fuss about? The decades-old murder of actress Gloria Reardon is a closed case; the motive is known and her killer is in jail. But as it often happens with legendary movie stars, Gloria Reardon’s memory lives on, almost as a life of its own – especially for Gloria’s grand-daughter, Kate.

What I like best about Kate is that she takes something bad that happens to her and instead of letting it define/defeat her, she parlays it into something good: a cause. Kate becomes a feminist, but it’s not thrown in the reader’s face. Kate’s action and words show she’s overcome adversity, improved herself, and is a strong force to be reckoned with in fighting misogyny and sexual harassment in 1970s Hollywood -- and finding long-buried secrets. This suits her well when she uncovers some presumed lost film footage of Gloria, and Kate doggedly pursues the truth often so blindly that she puts herself in danger.

"Her feelings toward him resembled a stoplight that blinked red and green at the same time."

While there is a romance element to the story, it’s primarily a mystery, and I appreciated that the relationship developing between Dylan and Kate took a back seat to the unfolding of the mystery. A curious addition to the story is the inclusion of paranormal activity; it is inserted a bit haphazardly, and it isn’t explored at all, and that weakens the story and Kate as a character, making it a bit of a distraction. Another distraction from the plot is Dylan’s and Mallick’s movie project though it does provide a vehicle for some of the other action.

"Curiosity and the need for caffeine trumped her outrage."

BONUS POINTS AWARDED: I knew Kate was my kinda lady when her decisions were guided by her need for some coffee. I can relate! And, I like that Kate heads to the library when she needs information (but too bad the librarian was a twit) – granted, it was the ‘70s, so there weren’t too many other options, but I’ll take my useful library mentions where I can get them.

ABOUT THE NARRATION: Christa Lewis is an excellent narrator for this story. She captures the nuances of Kate’s personality, but also the nuances and drama of the Hollywood players: the casting director, the actors/actresses, the assistants. She takes on the numerous accents and personalities so that each character is unique and easily identified (no small feat as there are A LOT of characters). The delivery was a bit slow for me (it ALWAYS is), and because of the format I had, I couldn’t speed-up the listening. Still, I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase another audio book with this narrator if I could control the speed.

Fallen Star is a great book for readers who enjoy super-smart main characters who won’t let a stone go unturned, complicated plots, and lots of twists and turns. I could see how the author could continue this story into another book, and I would read/listen to it. Thank you to the author and Audiobookworm Productions for providing me a digital download in exchange for my honest opinion – the only kind I give.
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Sep 21, 2016 Susan James rated it it was amazing

Fallen Star is my kind of book, complex, intriguing with a heroine I loved. Kate Bloom doesn’t want to use her beauty to follow in her legendary grandmother’s footsteps. She wants to make documentary films that change the way people look at things. When a canister of film containing the missing footage from the day her grandmother was murdered, turns up in the items her deceased mother hoarded, she is sure it will contain clues as to who really killed screen goddess Gloria Reardon and she knows ...more

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Sep 21, 2016 Kady Ambrose rated it it was amazing

Shelves: gothic-mystery

I became a fan of Allison Morse after reading her debut novel, The Sweetheart Deal, and her second book is every bit as good. While Sweetheart was set in the '50's, Morse's new heroine, Kate Bloom, is an idealistic young filmmaker in the '70's, whose grandmother was a screen siren decades earlier. I just love how the time period affects the character who is trying to define herself as a woman in an era of emerging feminism and a filmmaker in an era of emerging independent cinema. Kate's rejectio ...more

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Oct 14, 2016 Fleur rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2016-read

Even though this is set in the 1970s, I hesitated a bit about reading it due to this, but well and truly forgot quickly that it was based in the 70s as it is written timelessly. The way this story unfolds and the twists and turns had me literally wanting to bite by nails and I could not wait to see what happened next.

Kate is trying to make her own mark in life as well as stand up for what she believes in, even if it is a struggle. Unfortunately her families past doesn't want to let her go just y ...more

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Oct 24, 2016 Deborah Bailey rated it really liked it

Entertaining and suspenseful mystery with echoes of Old Hollywood woven into the Hollywood scene of the 1970's. Filmmaker Kate Bloom is out to solve the mystery of her movie star grandmother's murder, and she encounters many twists and turns on the way to her final discovery. The behind-the-scenes look at movie making is as interesting as the mystery itself. A fast-moving book that kept my attention and didn't let up until the satisfying ending. (Received a review copy.)
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Jan 30, 2017 Grady rated it it was amazing

‘Stay, illusion! If thou hast any sound or use of voice, Speak to me!’
- Shakespeare, Hamlet

California author Allison Morse hails from a fascinating background. She grew up in Los Angles, a member of a family of actors and she pursued the family's passion until moving to Berkeley to earn her bachelor's degree, following that with a masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute and then on to Hastings College of the Law for her JD. Always loving writing she has ad ‘Stay, illusion! If thou hast any sound or use of voice, Speak to me!’
- Shakespeare, Hamlet

California author Allison Morse hails from a fascinating background. She grew up in Los Angles, a member of a family of actors and she pursued the family's passion until moving to Berkeley to earn her bachelor's degree, following that with a masters degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute and then on to Hastings College of the Law for her JD. Always loving writing she has added writing to her busy career as a lawyer, enhancing her abilities in the literary arena with classes at UCLA Extension. She writes Young Adult fiction under the moniker Alise McLennan and under her name Allison Morse she writes Romance novels with unique characters, seamless plots and always the unexpected. She is a member of Sisters and Crime, SCBWI and RWA. Her initial novel was THE SWEETHEART DEAL, following which she wrote this mystery set in Hollywood entitled `FALLEN STAR’.

Allison has completely captured the 1960s and 1970s of Hollywood atmosphere (even the cover art reflects that) and her manner of speech is as apropos as is the mirror of the relationship between the sexes. She opens her mystery thriller with a telling Prologue set in 1964 - ‘In a gold sequined gown and holding a lit cigarette, Gloria Reardon loomed out of the huge movie poster. The picture was old, but with its splashes of yellow and red, it popped like neon against the nicotine-stained wall of the dingy office. And Gloria, breathtaking Gloria, eclipsed the puny room, smiling as if she knew it couldn’t possibly contain her dazzling self. “You look like her,” the photographer said, as he glanced up from his 35 mm camera set on a black tripod. “I do?” Kate tried not to let her words run faster than her thoughts— a major impossibility. “I mean, I’ve been told I do. I have the same red hair and green eyes, but…” She sighed and looked down at her navy and white jumper and the knee socks her mom insisted she still wear to school. Was it really possible that one day, her thirteen-year-old body could be as beautiful as her infamous grandmother’s?... Not that Kate had ever been lucky enough to meet Gloria. Her movie star grandmother had died eons ago. But Kate had thumbed through family albums filled with pictures of her and had seen her movies on TV late at night. With these artifacts, she had studied the sly sparkle in the actress’s eyes and had practiced the careless bravado as Gloria tilted her head just so, and rolled her shoulders with feline ease. And, now, as Kate conjured up these images, she realized that she was doing it, too. She was being Gloria. Click, click, click.’Masterful introduction of the nidus that is this novel.

To make the story condensed Allison provides a synopsis – ‘Who killed 1940s screen goddess Gloria Reardon? Her unsolved murder hypnotized the public with its scandalous details and shocked two generations. Avid feminist and aspiring filmmaker, Kate Bloom discovers long lost footage that holds the key to who murdered her grandmother. Legendary movie star, Gloria Reardon, may be dead, but friends and lovers from the Golden Age of Hollywood’s heyday are still very much on the scene, and it seems everyone has something to gain or lose from Kate’s discovery. Enlisting the youthful and brash film restorer Dylan Nichols as her closest ally, Kate becomes haunted by Gloria’s glittering past. Caught between glamorous Old Hollywood and the gritty, exciting New Hollywood of the 1970s, Kate is determined to find out what really happened to her grandmother and in the process becomes the killer’s new target.’

Smoothly elegant prose, fully three-dimensional characters, the flavor of the Hollywood, Allison Morse’s second novel is another deliciously fine novel from a very polished writer. See Allison fly! Highly recommended. ...more

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Jul 08, 2017 Angel Hatfield rated it it was amazing

Kate had just got through her mother's funeral. Her mother -Audrey had succumbed to cancer. The doorbell rang and Kate opened the door to her great Aunt Lillian who had been a commanding stage actress. But now Kate’s great aunt just looked old when did that happen? Lillian’s sister Gloria had become a star in the 1940’s.Kate had been fascinated with her grandmother. Gloria had been brutally murdered and her killer had not been brought to justice. While going through Glory’s things in the garage Kate had just got through her mother's funeral. Her mother -Audrey had succumbed to cancer. The doorbell rang and Kate opened the door to her great Aunt Lillian who had been a commanding stage actress. But now Kate’s great aunt just looked old when did that happen? Lillian’s sister Gloria had become a star in the 1940’s.Kate had been fascinated with her grandmother. Gloria had been brutally murdered and her killer had not been brought to justice. While going through Glory’s things in the garage Kate found a missing film of her grandmother’s- Gloria that was believed to show the fight and possibly the murder of Gloria. Everyone had believed the film had been destroyed. Kate let her Aunt Lillian take the film even though she hadn’t been in Kate’s life much. But her great aunt Lillian had a plan Natalie was Kate’s friend . Kate had entered a film and in an hour the winner of the Herbert Collier Prize would be announced and Natalie was going with Kate to the announcing of the award. Kate was one of the five finalists. Natalie is the only person Kate had told that she had almost been raped at thirteen by a so called director. That was when Kate changed from wanting to be an actress to doing films. Then Kate bumped into a man who turned out to be a judge of the films from the graduate students. Kate didn’t win and placed third she was really disappointed. In a week Kate met up with her aunt about the film as she is determined to be a part of the team that restores it the film had been sent to her mother and when her mother passed it became hers so Kate felt. Then Dylan the man who Kate had bumped into and had been a judge was there he was a friend of her Aunt Lillian’s and had worked on restoring films and the one Kate found was very fragile and the work needed to be carefully done so as not to destroy the old film.Dylan had some secrets of his own and someone or thing seemed to be haunting Kate.Kate had frequent nightmares that seem to be telling her to leave. Kate wants to unravel the mystery of her grandmother’s murder. Gloria’s presence was still felt by many people who had known and cared for her and were still alive. Kate seems to be the killer's next target.
I really loved this story and I loved the plot.I love how it shows how women were and are treated in Hollywood . I loved Kate’s strength. I didn’t want to put this down. I felt it had great action. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I loved the behind the scenes look at movie making. I loved the characters and the twist in this story and I highly recommend.
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Aug 12, 2018 Monica Kelly rated it it was amazing

Hollywood Mystery & Romance, Fallen Star takes place in the 70s, Kate Bloom’s grandmother, Gloria Reardon, was a screen goddess from the 1940’s was found murdered in the 60s. Kate is determined to expose the killer. Bloom is wanting to make documentary films that change the way people look at things. During her search, Kate discovers some long forgotten footage that holds the answers. No matter the costs the killer wants to keep this footage hidden! Kate Bloom is my new favorite heroine.

Author A ...more

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Jul 05, 2020 Swetha Amit rated it really liked it

It was nice to curl up with a murder mystery during July the 4th weekend. Picked this up on kindle based on some rave reviews by some of the publications and book clubs here.

Fallen Star is a riveting story about an unsolved murder mystery of a yesteryears Hollywood actress.

Gloria Reardon was a screen sensation in the 1940s and brutally murdered. There were many unsolved elements that led to some speculations. Many years later, her granddaughter cum aspiring filmmaker Kate Bloom discovers footag ...more

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Oct 06, 2016 J Aislynn d'Merricksson rated it it was amazing

cover98803-medium

**This book was reviewed for San Francisco and Netgalley**

Fallen Star, by Allison Morse, is a brilliantly wrought cold case murder mystery; a gripping thrill-ride from start to finish. It was one of the rare books I just didn't want to put down. I had to finish! We follow Kate Bloom, sharing in her chilling childhood encounter during the prologue. This unfortunate event would shape Kate in many ways, from closing off her ability to trust others, especially men, to a fierce drive
cover98803-medium

**This book was reviewed for San Francisco and Netgalley**

Fallen Star, by Allison Morse, is a brilliantly wrought cold case murder mystery; a gripping thrill-ride from start to finish. It was one of the rare books I just didn't want to put down. I had to finish! We follow Kate Bloom, sharing in her chilling childhood encounter during the prologue. This unfortunate event would shape Kate in many ways, from closing off her ability to trust others, especially men, to a fierce drive to promote females rights and fight against female objectification.

Flash-forward and we find Kate and her great-aunt looking at things in her recently deceased mother's garage, where they stumble across a crate that proves to contain old film footage once believed lost forever. This footage contains scenes from her grandmother, Gloria Reardon's, last movie, during the filming of which she was found murdered in her dressing room. No one was ever convicted of the crime, and the case had long gone cold. Til now.

Kate and her aunt engage the cooperation and assistance of Jarvis Benjamin, an important mover-and-shaker in the film industry, who knew Gloria Reardon, to aid in the restoration of the degraded film. Kate and her aunt hope restoring the film will shed light on Gloria’s death. Helping them is Dylan Nichols, a young up-and-coming director with a knack for film restoration. Shop is set up on Benjamin's property, and Kate and her aunt move in, unwilling to be far from the precious film fragments.

As the project progresses, and Kate’s obsession grows, she begins having visions of her grandmother, on the day of her death. They are snippets of the last hours of Gloria Reardon’s life, providing detail Kate would be unable to know without having been there. Between the visions and questions raised during the restoration, Kate begins a new investigation into her grandmother's murder. What she finds is a web of intrigue and deceit, hidden for decades.

In Fallen Star, Morse has woven a Gothic masterpiece that reflects the charm of the old films it discusses. There is mystery and intrigue with just a dash of the paranormal. The writing flows, drawing the reader into the story. It’s easy to feel for Kate, what she went through, and is going through, and to feel *with* her as the visions overtake her.

Highly recommended if you enjoy murder mysteries, paranormal drama, psychological suspense, the Agent Pendergast novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, or Conan Doyle's Sherlock stories. ...more

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Dec 15, 2017 Rachel Kester rated it really liked it

Gloria Reardon, a 1940s era actress, was brutally murdered during the 1960s, an event that shocked many people. Unfortunately though, her case was never solved.
After describing the murder of Reardon, the book then takes us to the 1970s where we read about Kate Bloom, Reardon’s granddaughter, who believes that she found some interesting footage that might explain just what happened. However, along the way, Bloom starts to learn more about her grandmother’s life and soon finds out the murderer mig ...more

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Dec 18, 2017 Denise Lucas rated it it was amazing

Fallen Star written by Allison Morse is a wonderfully written novel detailing the fictional tale of Kate Bloom and her insatiable desire to prove who ultimately killed her Hollywood starlet grandmother, Gloria Reardon, many years earlier. With Kate’s discovery of the lost footage, while going through her late mother’s possessions, Kate’s aunt and up and comer Dylan Nichols, set to uncover the truth behind Gloria’s murder. This book was well written, detailed and one of the most enjoyable reads I ...more

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Feb 12, 2018 Mar rated it it was amazing

After reading Allison Morse’s The Sweetheart Deal I was drawn to look for other books she wrote. I came across with Fallen Star and decided to try to see if the author makes it into my list of favorites. And without a doubt, she is. Her stories are fun and entertaining but they also show her deep knowledge of the time period she writes about. Not only in historical details but also in the mentality and I particularly like how she portrays women. In Fallen Star, we have Kate Bloom, a young woman ...more

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Jan 13, 2018 Kate Brackett rated it really liked it

The murder of the sexy Gloria Reardon in the 60's still hangs a shadow over her granddaughter and filmmaker Kate Bloom. Kate has always been fascinated by her grandmother, and when old film footage is discovered among her mother's things, Kate knows there could be a key as to who murdered her grandmother in it. Kate's journey begins and is tangled with the yearn to find her grandmother's killer with self-discovery and the determination to forge her own life away from her famous grandmother's sha ...more

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Feb 13, 2018 Jimmy Jefferson rated it it was amazing

Great mystery love story of murder and who killed the movie star

This is a great story of Kate trying to solve the murder of her movie star grandmother. With the help of lover Dylan, the film discovery from the day of the murder becomes a key to solving the crime. Great story about love and a desire to find out what happened. The story is well written with great characters and a fun journey that explores the life of the golden age of Hollywood and the murder of the great Gloria Reardon. Take this ...more

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Dec 12, 2017 Archie rated it liked it

Fallen star is a suspense fiction. The plot is about a murder mystery of a 1940 start Gloria Reardon, the case was never solved and let people wondering as it usually happens in the modern world. So author connected this story to real works with its theme. Now, Gloria granddaughter, Kate finds a lost footage that could be a clue to solve the Gloria murder mystery, but as usual she faces difficulties and is now on the line of danger herself. So the storyline is not new, but there are enough twist ...more

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Jan 12, 2018 Payal Sinha rated it it was amazing

Fallen Star is a Hollywood mystery at its best. The story revolves around Kate and the secret concerning her super glamorous film star grandmother Gloria who was murdered amidst mysterious circumstances. While the obvious finger points towards her fiancee at the time, there are many secrets that some people would like to be kept hidden. The story is filled with allure, charm, glamour, dirt and the ugly. Loved the book.

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Jul 05, 2017 Barbara rated it liked it

Shelves: my-kindle-books, book-club, suspense

Easy read. Time switches from Golden Age of Hollywood to present day. Suspense.
My BookClub. Feb. 2017
bcm

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Jan 05, 2019 Robbie White rated it really liked it

I enjoyed this
S story

I enjoyed this story.
I enjoyed reading this book. Very interesting and quick mystery. Is it possible to have writers block when writing reviews?

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Sep 04, 2019 alison l ryan rated it really liked it

Hollywood!

Interesting and enjoyable. Decent storyline and characters. Good summer read that is a bit different from what I normally read.

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Oct 29, 2016 Brooke Banks rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-romance, age-new-adult, written-reviews, content-trigger-warning, content-creepy-dark-twisted, genre-paranormal, genre-historical, content-insta-love, content-mixed-bag, content-crime

The Good
+The Ending
+Romance conclusion is sweet
+Climax was phenomenal
+Enjoyable, easy read
+Epilogue was cute
+Liked the characters
+Didn't see the important twists coming

The Bad & The Other
-Kate was annoying until late
-Push and pull romance was meh until later
-Didn't like the muddling paranormal
-Slow to get into

Fallen Star is a mish-mash of historical, mystery, family drama, and paranormal. Sounds great on paper and I've read other like this that made it work.

Sadly, I would've preferred t ...more

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Feb 12, 2017 Mave rated it really liked it

It 's a truly gripping novel full of twists and suspense, set in the charming and outrageous world of cinema.
Although she has never known her, Kate has always been fascinated by the myth of her grandmother, the great actress Gloria, died on the set. She tried to be like her but was going to cost her dear. So she decides to become a filmmaker. After having found the missing part of the film in which her grandmother lost her life, Kate wants to discover and unravel the mystery linked to her death, ...more

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Nov 01, 2016 Domoni rated it really liked it

Kate Bloom wants to make movies. She doesn’t want to be in movies like her famous grandmother she so resembles, though. When she finds the missing footage from her grandmother’s lost film, she sets out to preserve it and try to expose who murdered her grandmother. She enlists the help of her great aunt and fellow film maker Dylan to help repair and protect the old film. Kate’s frequent nightmares seem to be telling her to leave, but are they nightmares or a message from beyond?

This book opens wi ...more

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Jan 30, 2017 Heidi rated it it was amazing

Fallen Star by Allison Morse is her second novel. Although it is a murder mystery there is something for anyone to like. I found it quite the page turner.

The reader meets Kate Bloom, granddaughter of the late 1940's Hollywood Screen Goddess Gloria Reardon who's murder still was unsolved but with scandalous details that shocked two generations. While clearing out her Mom's garage with her Aunt,

Kate discovers a box filled with things linked to her late Grandmother. They find a film reel that was b ...more

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Nov 01, 2016 Laura rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss-storeycartel-re

Guaranteed to surprise you over and over as you keep turning pages.
Not every ghost is cold and menacing, well, not to all people.
This is a story of many layers, only the surface one being trying to discover the true killer of Kate's grandmother, legendary screen actress Gloria Reardon.
I bet you'll suspectvarious people as the information is revealed.

This is also a study of glamorous old Hollywood versus the changes happening in a newer age of the nineteen seventies. Is it really different? Who h ...more

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Sep 24, 2016 Pamela rated it really liked it

Fallen Star feels feels like you’ve entered a world with two mysteries:

1. 1940s ‘Old Hollywood’ movie making industry filled with glamour, movie stars, powerful studio execs and those who would do anything to get ahead and be part of that club.

2. A family mystery with a female heroine who dives into her mom’s unsettling past and discovers her own strengths as well as weaknesses along the way.

Allison Morse has written a smart story with colorful characters and great attention to detail. I loved t ...more

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Jan 17, 2017 Valery rated it really liked it

Fallen Star by Allison Morse is set in the turbulent world of 1970's Hollywood. Kate Bloom, a youngish, aspiring documentary filmmaker is the granddaughter of a famous 1940's Hollywood film star, Gloria Reardon, who was murdered. Kate sets out to figure out just what happened and uncovers the clue she might need, an old film canister that might contain enough information to finally solve the mystery. Working with Dylan, an esteemed film restorer, they endeavor to put together the pieces of the p ...more

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Jan 30, 2017 Alia rated it it was amazing

Fallen star is not your typical mystery, not predictable at all! The main character Kate is easy to relate with. She is set on making a mark for herself not by her looks, but by her inspiring documentaries.

Kate's grandmother is the famous 1940's actress Gloria Reardon, who was mysteriously murdered. While Kate was going through her mother's things, she comes across a canister with footage from the day her grandmother was murdered! Of course this opens one hell of a pandora's box and now the murd ...more

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