A Map to Paradise
In 1956, the Red Scare is cooling off, but not quickly enough to save film star Melanie Cole from being blacklisted when her paramour is accused of being a communist. Hiding out in a rented Malibu home while she waits for the scandal to pass, Melanie’s only friends are her hired maid, Eva Kruse, and her shut-in neighbor, screenwriter Elwood Blankenship.
Eva is hiding too. Having immigrated to the United States four years earlier as a Displaced Person from Poland, she’s terrified that if the feds start looking into Melanie, they’ll discover her secret as well—which would end badly for both her and the star. But when Elwood stops coming to his window to talk to Melanie, the ladies worry that his sister-in-law, June, is abusing or harming him in some way. Melanie sends Eva over to the Blankenship home to check things out, and Eva uncovers much more than either she or Melanie could have possibly expected.
Once again, Meissner has delivered a tale of unexpected friendships and female strength in a male-dominated world. Seen through the eyes of Melanie, Eva, and June, the story casts a critical eye on the paranoia that sparks panics like the Red Scare. In a rare stumble, though, Meissner muddles the message by excusing a drunken-driving accident as unintentional, arguing that the driver wasn’t responsible for his passenger’s death because he hadn’t deliberately pulled a trigger. Meissner’s fans will likely forgive the blunder, but readers new to Meissner’s work might want to start with one of her older titles.
