R.T. Jordan, Remains to Be Scene

Remains to Be Scene

R.T. Jordan

Kensington, Feb 2007, $22.00, 336 pp.

ISBN 0758212801

Polly Pepper is a Hollywood legend, a superstar at the level of Elizabeth Taylor and Lucille Ball. She had her own Television Show in the way of the Carol Burnett show and won many Emmys and Oscars. Now that she is older, the jobs have dried up. She lives in a luxurious famous Hollywood estate Pepper Plantation with her maid Placenta who is just like family and her son Tim, an events planner so she is never lonely.

On the set of the flick Detention Rules, character actress Trixie Wilder is murdered even though the police think it was an accident. Polly's agent calls her to see if she wants Trixie's role but when she arrives at his office she learns that her arch-enemy Sedra Stone, who stole two husbands from her, got the part; Polly is furious. When Sandra is murdered Polly takes on the role and decides to conduct a little sleuthing only to learn everyone hated the victim from the security guard she dissed to the actress she picked on to the director who hired her for making his job a living hell.

R.T. Jordan has written a very funny amateur sleuth tale with characters that are witty and nice that readers can't help but like them. Even though the heroine was a major star, she never let success go to her head as she still knows how relax and have fun. Getting the part validates her image that she can still perform while readers empathize with former superstars who are discarded as they age.

Harriet Klausner