Something was off about this book. No matter how earnestly I tried, the characters never worked for me and I found the plot so boring that I did not care at all about either the victim or the murderer by the end.

Annie is a writer who has just moved to LA and while she is find her place she is adopted by a crew of cynical and bitter Hollywood types at a place called the Hollywood Canteen. When one of the crew ends up dead Annie decides to investigate.

It has ever salacious secret you can imagine from old Hollywood - sham marriages, secret homosexuality, racism, sexism, and even a throuple. It should have been scandalous and exciting but it all fell flat. When the big reveal happens at the end it just felt ridiculous and because I never invested in the victim it was easy to shrug and walk away. This had the potential to be a gripping read but it never reached it.

I love a good murder mystery and I thought the Hollywood setting, and the time period of mid-WWII sounded great, but the actual mystery aspect didn’t compel me as much as I would’ve liked it too.

Murder mystery in Hollywood. It was decent enough. Would recommend to people who like a good murder mystery or people looking to dabble in new genres. Loved the suggestions for reading groups at the end. Enjoyed this - it was fun!

A very interesting read!

Annie Laurence has been basking in the glory of the success of her play. Now, reeling from a relationship break-up which has left her high and dry, she heads to LA where she has been signed up as a writer by a movie company.. There she meets Fiona Farris, ascerbic columnist and her group of friends. She is persuaded to join the Hollywood Canteen where those in the movie industry do their best to provide food and entertainment for the young men heading off to war. Then Fiona's body is found in the canteen kitchen, murdered, and Annie finds herself under suspicion. The best way to clear her name, of course, is to find the murderer . . . even if it puts her in danger!

I love a book where I learn about something I wasn't previously aware of, and the Hollywood Canteen fits the bill perfectly. This is a well-thought out mystery with beautifully crafted characters and an enigmatic story. It certainly kept me glued to the pages right to the very end. An enjoyable read, and one I'm happy to recommend. 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of this book.

I did enjoy this book though I wouldn’t say it was a real page turner. I enjoyed the writing style and the setting.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen exposes the grit beneath the gilded glamour of Hollywood stardom in this tense, twisty historical thriller.

This is a murder mystery infused with the glamour, glitz and seedy underbelly of 1940s Hollywood. Here everything is a facade and every move is to serve an ulterior purpose. The aesthetics are exuberantly conveyed, creating a real sense of atmosphere that pulls you in. Like the starlets, image is everything here. There is always something lurking beneath the surface. It creates a suspenseful, paranoid vibe where everyone is sharpening their knives. Of course, this marries well with a slick mystery that takes you down plenty of rabbit holes and off on wild goose chases.

At the centre of it all, we have our catty and conniving group. Annie is sucked into the Ambassador's Club and indeed the seductive clutches of the Hollywood machine itself. You can see how corruptive and influential it is, reflecting in the themes of addiction. Secrets are just another currency to trade. This jars with the incessant search for a perfect image, leading to plenty of motives and misdirections. I really enjoyed discovering the complexities of Fiona’s character as well and how much more she had going on than the surface level we initially encounter.

Also, I was pleasantly surprised with the queer representation in this, completely catching me off guard and being as normalised as queer representation in a historical novel set in the 1940s could be. It was wonderful to watch them just be as flawed and fractured as everyone else on display here. Most of the relationships are extremely toxic entanglements, with plenty of scandal and secrets wrapped up within them. This makes for some fascinating and evolving character dynamics throughout the book.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen made for a glossy and tense mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

I really enjoyed this book, I liked the writing style and i found the story line to be compelling and the mystery element was intriguing.

Sarah James writes a blend of fact and fiction in this historical murder mystery that penetrates the golden age of 1940s Hollywood, the glamour and the more unsavoury aspects that lie beneath the surface. It is 1943, and after heartbreak New York playwright, Annie Laurence, is enticed to California and Hollywood to write for one of the studios, Pacific Pictures. The film industry has come together to support the military services in WW2 by serving up entertainment for them at the Hollywood Canteen, provided by famous volunteers putting on a show, including film stars, such as Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope, and musicians, such marvellous PR.

Annie finds herself tempted by the irresistible thought of being in close contact with the magical aura of the stars by getting involved, finding herself in the company of a resentful, bitter, disappointed and snarky group, known as the Ambassador Club. Here, when they meet, they trade rumours, cutting comments, gossip and banter, amidst a background of drink and drugs. Fiona Farris is a powerful if disliked film critic who rarely finds anything that pleases her, although she had given a favourable review to one of Annie's plays in New York. However, Farris simultaneously shines an unwanted light on Annie's personal life and the threesome she was a part of. When Farris is found dead, initially it is suspected that it is suicide, but is it murder?

Finding herself under suspicion, Annie launches her own inquiries, but there are so many with a possible motive, will she be able to get to the truth? James draws attention to a dark world of secrets, deceptions, ambitions, greed and more beneath the thin veneer of Hollywood sparkle and glitter. This is an entertaining historical read, but there are issues with pacing, the plotting could have been more finely tuned, and the humour does not always chime with me. However, I think there will be many who will enjoy this more than me with its immersion into and picture of Hollywood's golden age. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

Unfortunately I decided to dnf this book at around 60%

It’s not that it was bad I was just so uninterested in the plot or the mystery aspect of the books

We follow Annie Lawrence who after a complicated break up moves to Hollywood to become a screen writer
When critic Fiona Farris is found dead Annie quickly finds herself falling in with Fiona’s friends to discover what happened to her.

Basically my problem was it was just very uninteresting to me.
The writing was good and I can see the appeal but my interest was distinguishing quickly as I read on.

I will say I do love queer rep is books so having a queer protagonist was great.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review