In addition to writing the Ingrid Skyberg FBI Thrillers, Eva and Jo collaborated on the Hollywood Detective novels, breezy, bright old-fashioned private eye investigations set in the Golden Age of Hollywood. If you’d like to know when these books are on special offer, or when the next instalment is available, please click here to join the mailing list.
The Hollywood Detective – Book 1
Hollywood 1939. Promising starlet, Clara Lockhart, disappears from a glittering party in Beverly Hills the night before her first big audition.
Worried Clara’s disappearance may prove permanent if she doesn’t act fast, her roommate hires L.A.’s best private eye to save her. Spencer McCoy, a classic pulp fiction detective, knows time is against him, but soon discovers he’s made a powerful enemy in Howard Strickling, MGM’s notorious publicity boss.
With escaped big cats stalking the streets of L.A., heavies threatening him at every turn, and an ambitious new secretary desperate to do some sleuthing of her own, McCoy must battle the might of the movie industry if he’s to uncover what really happened to Clara.
But time has almost run out: if McCoy doesn’t rescue her soon, she’ll become another casualty of the pitiless Hollywood machine.
Featuring real 1930s stars of the silver screen, The Hollywood Detective is a classic detective novel that will transport you to the magical Golden Age of movie-making and keep you turning the pages until the very last twist.
Fading movie star Elisabeth Clay had been hoping to adopt a baby from a Los Angeles orphanage. But when she returns to Hollywood after filming on location, she discovers her beautiful baby girl has disappeared.
Elisabeth turns to the city’s finest detective agency—Spencer McCoy and Associates—for help. There’s just one problem: Spencer McCoy is in jail and the associate in question has only been in the detective business for a little over a week.
Can feisty Rose Randall beat the odds and find Elisabeth’s baby? Can she also figure out a way to get her boss out of jail? One thing’s for sure, she’s certainly going to give it everything she’s got.
Join Rose as she blisters through 1930s Tinseltown in a light-hearted caper that features plenty of glamor, heaps of adventure and more than a hint of romance.
While war simmers in Europe, Los Angeles swelters under a heatwave. Private Investigator Spencer McCoy is called to Beverly Hills and asked to find priceless jewelry stolen from MGM’s new leading lady, Hedy Lamarr.
When the gems surface quickly—far too easily—McCoy discovers the burglars’ real target was something far more valuable, and extremely dangerous. The magazines call Hedy Lamarr the ‘most beautiful woman alive’, but she is also a woman with a dark past and an astonishing secret.
Join Spencer and his wisecracking associate Rose as they race through 1930s Tinseltown to stop a deadly secret falling into Hitler’s hands.
PRAISE FOR THE SERIES
“Peopled with a cast of fast-talking dames and wise-cracking dudes this is a compelling whodunnit in its own right but also a glorious pastiche of the kind of movies that Dick Powell and Myrna Loy might have made in a parallel universe.”
“If you like Chandler, Perry Mason, Chinatown… then you will love The Hollywood Detective. Spencer McCoy is the private investigator who likes courting women and catching waves in between trying to solve mysteries. Predictably, for this style of thriller set in the height of the Hollywood film era, it’s Spencer’s female assistant who has the brains.”
“Brilliant setting with engaging central characters. The story rips along. It’s funny and tense by turns.”
Set during the Golden Age of Hollywood, The Hollywood Detective is a classic mystery series featuring Spencer McCoy, a handsome private investigator with a reputation for getting to the truth. In a city ruled by powerful studio bosses and plagued by corrupt cops, it takes a decent man like McCoy to deliver justice.
Fans of Howard Hawks movies like His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby will enjoy watching the sparks fly as Rose and Spencer get each other in—and out—of trouble.