Published 8th May 2025 by Aries.
From the cover of the book:
PLAY THEIR GAMEHollywood, 1953. Young actress Ginny Watkins is turning heads. Even the legendary - and married - actor Max Whitman can't resist the allure of the hottest new starlet. He promises Ginny the world, in return for the right favour.
DO WHAT THEY SAY
London, 1954. Stella Hope, once the most famous actress in Hollywood, has been ousted to Ealing Studios after her divorce from the powerful Max. Just as she accepts her fate, she receives a letter, blackmailing her for a mistake she made many years ago.
OR THEY'LL BURY YOU
Two women on either side of stardom find themselves in the orbit of the same beguiling man. And one night, in the shadows of a glamorous Oscars afterparty, their lives are changed forever.
A Beautiful Way to Die delves into the decadence and depravity of the early film industry from Hollywood to London. Perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Babylon.
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Hollywood, 1953. Aspiring actress, Ginny Watkins, travels from London to Los Angeles for the chance to make it big as a movie star. With a brand new name and look, she is willing to do almost anything to earn a contract with Star Studios, and when she catches the eye of the legendary Max Whitman she begins an affair that she hopes will be her ticket to stardom - even though he is married to famous actress Stella Hope.
London, 1954. Once the toast of Tinseltown, Stella Hope is now out in the cold on loan to Ealing Studios. Her fall from grace following her divorce from Max Whitman has been a bitter pill to swallow, but she has no choice but to accept the down-turn in her career - until a black mail letter drops onto her door mat...
Inspired by uncomfortable truths about 1950's Hollywood, A Beautiful Way to Die delves into the dark side of the film industry, through the perspectives of young starlet Ginny Watkins, and aging star Stella Hope, whose fates are tied together through their relationship with powerful, but flawed, Hollywood royalty, Max Whitman.
The story unfurls in perfectly wrought slow-burn style, with weaving storylines that flip between Ginny, Stella, make-up artist Maggie (who befriends Stella in her exile at Ealing Studios), and the chilling narrative of an unnamed woman confined to an LA asylum, creating an ensemble piece that is absolutely gripping - and has a brilliantly contrived mystery at its core.
Through their experiences, Kyriacou does a stellar (pun intended) job of exposing the horrors beneath the glamour of an industry dominated by the all powerful studio system that manufactured the 'stars' of the silver screen. This is a world where image is everything. Stars are treated with kid-gloves, pampered and preened, and protected by Hollywood fixers who hide their indiscretions. And those hoping to become stars are willing to change every little thing about themselves to become famous, including being subjected to all manner of physical, mental, and sexual abuse - especially the young women forced to endure fragile egos, fierce rivalries, betrayals, and the 'casting couch' process at the heart of a corrupt film industry.
This is one of those books that grabs you from the first page, tying you to the heart-wrenching tragedies, and glorious triumphs of its female characters as the twists and turns of its complex plot play out, and Kyriacou maintains pitch perfect tension throughout. I particularly enjoyed how she explores the fate of 'difficult' women in this story - a timeless and ever pertinent theme!
I loved it!
A Beautiful Way To Die is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to Head of Zeus for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and or inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
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