Rachel West and the Fallen Starlet - by Emma Mills (Paperback)

About the Book

"Baby doll top, gladiator sandals, and fully loaded iPod at the ready--it's 2008 in Los Angeles, and Rachel West is a little less starry-eyed than your average ingenue. There's never been a better time to be an entertainment journalist, but the road to writing glossy profiles starts with copyediting a celeb gossip rag. Hey, it pays her bills. Most of them, at least. Everything changes when Rachel befriends Molly Byrne--former child star and current tabloid fave due to her drunken escapades and rotating cast of boyfriends--in a nightclub bathroom. When Molly is found dead, all of Hollywood accepts her death as an overdose. But Rachel knows for a fact her friend was clean, so when Molly's favorite paparazzo, Casper, tells her he thinks Molly was murdered, she believes him. With the help of a ragtag group of residents from her apartment building, a handsome detective, and her trusty flip phone, Rachel must solve the mystery of Molly's death before she's written off for good"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

Celebrity gossip can cut to the quick, but when it turns deadly it's up to an aspiring reporter and her quirky neighbors to close the case in the first of a witty and nostalgic new mystery series.

Baby doll top, gladiator sandals, and fully loaded iPod at the ready: it's 2008 in Los Angeles, and Rachel West is a little less starry-eyed than your average ingenue. Copyediting a celeb gossip rag isn't the glossy entertainment journalism Rachel thought she would be doing but hey, it pays the bills. Some of them, anyway.

Rachel's life changes overnight after meeting Molly Byrne, a former child star and current tabloid fave for her drunken escapades and rotating cast of boyfriends, and what begins as a chance encounter in a nightclub bathroom quickly grows into a genuine friendship.

When Molly is found dead, Hollywood accepts her death as an overdose. But Rachel knows for a fact her friend was clean--and she's not alone in her suspicions that Molly was murdered.

With the help of a ragtag group of residents from her apartment building, a friendly paparazzo, and a handsome detective, Rachel must solve the mystery of Molly's death before she's written off for good.

Review Quotes

"Rachel West and the Fallen Starlet has everything--a fast-paced, tightly plotted mystery; an abundance of humor and banter; and the feeling of living inside a magazine getting all the celebrity gossip first. An addicting, fun, entertaining romp of a read! I devoured this."--Gloria Chao, USA Today bestselling author of The Ex-Girlfriend Murder Club

"This book kept me guessing. I even had an aha moment where I was sure I knew the murderer and I was completely wrong! So many great characters. What a fun read!"--Jo Firestone, author of Murder on Sex Island

About the Author

Emma Mills is thrilled to make her mystery debut with Rachel West. She is the author of six young adult novels, including First & Then, Foolish Hearts, and Something Close to Magic, and the middle grade graphic novel series The Greenies. When she is not writing, Emma can be found reviewing scientific documents, tending to her large collection of succulents, and deep-diving into various fandoms. Emma lives in St. Louis with her dog Teddy, who is best described as a big personality in a tiny package.