I’m delighted to share a review of BYE BYE BLACKBIRD by Elizabeth Crowens as part of the Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tour. Be sure to enter the giveaway linked at the end of this post!
February 17 – March 14, 2025 Virtual Book Tour
Genre: Golden Age of Hollywood Private Investigator novel with satire
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: January 28, 2025
Number of Pages: 340
Series: Babs Norman Golden Age of Hollywood Mystery, Book 2 | Each is a Stand-Alone Mystery
About the Book:
In the summer of 1941, Hollywood heats up again when Humphrey Bogart arrives right after a female corpse with a dead bird stuffed inside her overcoat topples into the office of B. Norman Investigations. While filming The Maltese Falcon, Bogie found a mysterious ancient Egyptian hawk artifact on his doorstep containing a mummified black bird. Someone with dark intentions threatens the main cast, one by one, leaving dead birds, from crows to falcons, as their calling cards.
While more murders pile up, jeopardizing the film from being finished, Bogie hires private eyes Babs Norman and Guy Brandt, infuriating his volatile third wife, Mayo Methot, or Sluggy, as she’s known in some circles. Unraveling the personal lives of Mary Astor, John Huston, Sydney Greenstreet, Elisha Cook, Jr., Peter Lorre, and Jack L. Warner in their quirky, humorous way, the PIs turn the underbelly of Tinseltown upside down to stop the crazed killer from claiming another victim.
My Review:
What a fun historical mystery that can be easily read as a standalone for readers new to the series. Fans of the golden age of Hollywood and film noir will gravitate to this story as the setting, language and characters all evoke this time period. I could easily picture the messy PI office overrun with animals and the heat of the summer overwhelming everyone. The writing is vivid. The mystery is puzzling, and even though I wanted to speed ahead to learn the resolution, I had to slow down so I didn’t get the clues and characters confused in my mind. Well researched and plotted – this is a fun series to read.
About the Author:
Elizabeth Crowens is bi-coastal between Los Angeles and New York. For over thirty years, she has worn many hats in the entertainment industry, contributed stories to Black Belt, Black Gate, Sherlock Holmes Mystery Magazines, Hell’s Heart, and the Bram Stoker-nominated A New York State of Fright, and has a popular Caption Contest on Facebook.
Awards include: Leo B. Burstein Scholarship from the MWA-NY Chapter, New York Foundation of the Arts grant to publish the anthology New York: Give Me Your Best or Your Worst (no longer in print), Eric Hoffer Award, Glimmer Train Awards Honorable Mention, Killer Nashville Claymore Award Finalist, two Grand prize, six First prize, and multiple Finalist Chanticleer Awards. Crowens writes multi-genre alternate history and historical Hollywood mysteries.
Author’s Links:
- Website
- Goodreads
- BookBub @ecrowens
- Instagram @crowens_author
- Amazon Author
- Twitter @ECrowens
- Facebook @thereel.elizabeth.crowens
- Bluesky elizabethcrowens.bsky.social
Retail Links:
Giveaway:
This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Elizabeth Crowens. See the link for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited. The giveaway is for: THREE (3) US-ONLY $10 Bookshop.org Gift Cards. ENTER HERE
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