Death in the Palace

Name: Death in the Palace
Rating: 4.6 (104 reviews)

by Barbara Hambly Book 4 in the Silver Screen Historical Mysteries series.

First published 2026

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4.5(104)

November 1924. Silent-film star Kitty Flint receives an extraordinary proposal from wealthy Clark Dexter: $50,000 to marry him and then quietly divorce. Emma distrusts the arrangement, especially when rumours about Dexter are followed by the suspicious death of the person who voiced them.

The inquiry carries Emma and Kitty from Hollywood into New York society, where film celebrity intersects with inherited wealth and organised crime. Emma must determine why Dexter needs a temporary wife, what his associates are protecting and how the marriage fits a larger scheme. The apparent bargain becomes a trap built around reputation, money and murder.