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In 1927, a Hollywood fixer is called yet again to take care of a situation that will look bad for a film studio. Mary Rourke arrives at the home of gorgeous star Norma Carlton to find that she’s committed suicide. Norma had been filming a horror movie, The Devil’s Playground, that’s now rumored to be cursed. When the situation turns out not to be exactly as it appeared, Mary is given a new assignment as a secret investigator. It leads her down a lot of dark alleys and gets quite complicated — and dangerous.

Forty years later, a journalist arrives at an old hotel in the desert that has long since been abandoned. Except for one person. And he believes that person may be in possession of the lone surviving copy of The Devil’s Playground. It’s said to be the most terrifying movie of all time. He’s getting paid a lot of money to deliver it to a well-heeled movie buff.

This mystery hops between these two times but also back to a few earlier ones as well, filling out the dark and very well-hidden back stories of some dangerous players. It’s a period piece, transporting readers to a glamorous time in old Hollywood just before “talkies” started being made. It’s a thriller, in which danger lurks in every corner; it has elements of horror and the supernatural, with women who practice some shady/dark arts.

I enjoyed the journey through the eras and the mystery, as the very capable heroine Mary Rourke tried to uncover the truth in what became an increasingly odd and unsettling case. The Devil’s Playground is quite satisfying.

Rated: Moderate. Profanity includes 2 uses of strong language, around 20 instances of moderate profanity, about 30 uses of mild language, and about 15 instances of the name of Deity in vain. Sexual content includes references to people having sex and having affairs. Violence includes a number of murders in various ways. There are lots of references to voodoo.

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*I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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