One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman
Romance writer Abbi Waxman (The Bookish Life of Nina Hill) has written a mystery.
Twentysomething Natasha Mason and iconic, retired actress Julia Mann meet cute when Julia stumbles into an AA meeting after an altercation with the police who suspect her of murdering the dead man in her pool. (Having gone to jail for murder once before, the police naturally assume Julia is making a sequel!) Natasha, who struggles with impulse control as well as alcohol, leaps into the fray and signs on as Julia’s assistant and sobriety sponsor.
Doubting the professionals’ ability to solve the crime, the never-in-doubt (of her innocence or anything else) Julia investigates the murder, enlisting the help of Natasha, her housekeeper, her agent/lawyer, her other agent/lawyer (younger and hotter), a burlesque queen, and a cat burglar.
Waxman has not quite mastered the mystery genre (digressive subplots and too obvious red herrings), but her sly depiction of the LA film business, the snappy dialogue, and the two appealing main characters make up for any shortfalls. By the end of the novel, the amateur sleuths are a “team,” signaling perhaps the start of a Mason/Mann series!