‘The Strange Disappearance of Kitty Fox’ by Lisa Hall.

Published by Canelo Hera,
24 July 2025. 
ISBN: 978-1-83598165-8 (PB)

Lily Jones is happy to be in 1950s Hollywood, even if it is the result of a strange time slip that has given her the opportunity to move from her 21^st century life to the glamorous movie town.  She has made two close friends, Louis and Tilda, and has her dream job working on a movie set.  She sometimes has trouble remembering that she knows things of which her friends and colleagues can have no knowledge – mobile phones and serial killers being examples.

The trio work well together and have had some success in investigating two cases of which Lily had prior knowledge.  When Lily meets the rising star, Kitty Fox, on the film set, she remembers that after this movie Kitty disappears and her disappearance has remained an unsolved mystery.  With this in mind, Lily is very aware of the tensions surrounding the filming.  The pressures on everyone involved in make a film within budget and on time are huge, and the desire for fame and success affects people with much to lose, creating an atmosphere in which it is difficult to know who can be trusted.  After a few incidents, Lily focuses on the discovery that some young actresses with a resemblance to Kitty have been found dead.

As she and her friends try to sort out what is going on and protect Kitty, the dangers escalate, and Kitty makes it clear that she really does not want to be a film star.  Lily tries to work out how to protect and help her to achieve her wish, and finds support comes from unexpected places.

In the three books published so far, the author provides an interesting take on life in 1950s Hollywood and Lily continues to be a great central character.  Her friends are used to the unexpected insights she has but are always fully engaged in supporting her.  Lily is, however, always aware that she does not belong in the 1950s and that at any time she may suddenly be pulled back into the 21^st century.  Recommended.
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Reviewer: Jo Hesslewood

Lisa Hall loves words, reading and everything there is to love about books. She has dreamed of being a writer since she was a little girl and is now a bestselling author.  She has written four books in her Hollywood series, and nine standalone books.  Lisa lives in a small village in Kent, surrounded by her towering TBR pile, a rather large brood of children, dogs, chickens and ponies, and her long-suffering husband. She is also rather partial to eating cheese and drinking wine. 

www.lisahallauthor.co.uk

 

Jo Hesslewood.  Crime fiction has been my favourite reading material since as a teenager I first spotted Agatha Christie on the library bookshelves.  For twenty-five years the commute to and from London provided plenty of reading time.  I am fortunate to live in Cambridge, where my local crime fiction book club, Crimecrackers, meets at Heffers Bookshop .  I enjoy attending crime fiction events and currently organise events for the Margery Allingham Society.