The Hurricane Blonde

By: Halley Sutton

Narrated by: Natasha Soudek

Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

AN INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

"A murder mystery that feels as magnetic, timeless, and inextricable from Hollywood legend as the Black Dahlia . . . There's no one better at writing the dark side of Hollywood than Halley Sutton."—Ashley Winstead, author of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife

Salma Lowe, progeny of Hollywood royalty and a once-promising child actor, spends her days as a guide for the Stars Six Feet Under tour, leading tourists through Los Angeles’s star-studded avenues to sites where actresses of the past met untimely ends. Salma knows better than anyone that a tragic death is the surest path to stardom. Her sister, Tawney, viciously dubbed the "Hurricane Blonde," was murdered in the nineties, the case never solved and, to Salma’s ire, indefinitely closed . . . until Salma stumbles upon a dead body mid-tour, on the property where her sister once lived, at the precise scene of her sister’s demise. Even more uncanny: the deceased woman also looks like Tawney.

The police are convinced this woman’s death was an accident—but Salma is haunted by the investigation’s echoes of her own past. What if this woman’s murder points to Tawney’s killer? Launching her own investigation, Salma plunges back into the salacious but seductive world of Hollywood. And what she’ll find is that old secrets may just be worth killing for.

©2023 Halley Sutton (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of Paste Magazine's Must-Read Thrillers of Summer 2023

"While the twisty, L.A. true crime-like story [is] enough of a hook, Sutton’s critique of toxic Hollywood culture add[s] a bow to this splashy noir bubbling with rage." —The Seattle Times

"Enthralling . . . Sutton indicts our culture for its fixation on beautiful young women who died at the hands of others.” —The New York Times Book Review

"Is a tragic death the only way to cement one's legacy in Hollywood? Halley Sutton delivers a twisty rumination of this question.” —PopSugar

More Like a Tropical Storm Than a Hurricane

3.5 stars would be more accurate for The Hurricane Blonde by Halley Sutton. What I loved was the old Hollywood references and components to the story. What I didn't love was that in spite of a fairly cool premise - black sheep daughter of Hollywood royalty who is now leading bus tours to dead actors discovers a dead actress in her late sister's pool- her sister who was also found dead next to that same pool 20 years ago. I mean, that premise alone set this book up for high expectations! But in the end the mystery aspect was sort of spoon fed to you through the entire book and then the slight twist at the end was fairly preposterous. I liked it. I would recommend it. But I wanted a lot more from it. That's my honest opinion.

Another amazing story by Halley Sutton

Twists and turns as unexpected as the road ahead. Kudos to Halley Sutton for another great novel!

Over-stuffed?

This felt about 25-30% longerbthan it should have been. Far too much perseverating on the part of the protagonist for the (very) modest payoff

Whining spoiled brat solves murder

Did not enjoy the book. Took forever to tell a 3 minute story the narrator whined the entire story without resolution