Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen: A Novel by Sarah James


 Annie Laurence is a New York playwright, but when her long-term relationship is terminated and her lead actors move to Hollywood, she finds herself desperate enough to take a job at the third-tier movie studio. Wanting to meet Fiona Farris, a critic who reviewed her New York play, Annie meets the whole Ambassador’s Club. She believes that she finally has met people who could assist her with her career and help her move on from her failed relationship.

Then Fiona is murdered and one of the Club have been implicated. The more Annie investigates, though, the bigger a target she has on her back.

I really did not like the characters! I was hoping that I could start cheering on Annie, but then she would do something so stupid that I just couldn’t keep reading. Obviously, I hated Adam and Beverly Cook. I really wanted Annie to punch one of them. When the Ambassador Club was introduced, I really was hoping they would bond and make one or two of them better. Unfortunately, they were all “woe-is-me” crybabies, and I just couldn’t bring myself to pay much attention.

There are plenty of suspects, and many motives as Fiona was not a nice individual. However, the general landscape of Hollywood, the Hollywood Canteen, the people including the sailors, and the overall political atmosphere are so well written that the reader feels like they are there. 

Overall, I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars.

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