Bye Bye Blackbird: A Babs Norman Golden Age of Hollywood Mystery
In this sequel to the well-received Hounds of the Hollywood Baskervilles, PI Babs Norman and her reluctant partner Guy Brandt are drawn into another adventure in Golden Age Hollywood, when a dead woman tumbles into their office with a dead bird beneath her coat. At the same time, Humphrey Bogart receives an Egyptian artifact containing a mummified dead bird just as he has begun filming The Maltese Falcon.
When Bogart hires Babs and Guy to investigate, more dead birds begin to appear across Hollywood. Starting with the silhouette on the frosted glass window that introduces the dead woman, Elizabeth Crowens pays affectionate homage to The Maltese Falcon with her central mystery involving the black bird that was the origin of the term “MacGuffin.” And the rest of the story is seeded with many other knowing nods to Hollywood legend. Crowens delves into the combative relationship between Humphrey Bogart and his third wife, Mayo Methot – as well as sketching backstage portraits of Bogart’s co-stars like Peter Lorre and the legendary John Huston. The antics of the rescue animals, which B. Norman Investigations accumulates more quickly than they do mysteries, provide a fun counterpoint to the equally entertaining antics of the humans. However, delightful as such details are, they threaten to overwhelm the mystery at every twist and turn. But this is an ideal romp for readers looking to enjoy a nostalgic trip through old Hollywood.
