Saving Susy Sweetchild

by Barbara Hambly Book 3 in the Silver Screen Historical Mysteries series.

First published 2024

Amazon

4.5(141)

Hollywood, July 1924. Emma is working on the Western film Our Tiny Miracle when seven-year-old star Susy Sweetchild is nearly killed during a stunt. Susy’s mother, former actress Selina Sutton, seems more concerned with finishing the picture than protecting her daughter, and Emma begins to question the arrangements surrounding the child’s career.

When Susy and Selina are kidnapped, the ransom demand warns the studio not to involve the police. Emma and Kitty investigate among relatives, handlers, publicity staff and filmmakers whose incomes depend on Susy’s carefully managed image. The case exposes the exploitation behind child stardom and the danger of treating a performer as studio property.