Final Cut

  I'm always on the lookout for new cozy mystery series to try. And if the hook of the series is also something new to me, well, I'm hooked to at least give it a try. So, when I came across Final Cut by Majorie McCown with a Hollywood theme, I knew I needed to read this first book in the series.

Final Cut follows Joey, a costume designer in Hollywood. She's working on a new mega-superhero movie when things start going wrong. Very quickly into the production, an assistant director is found dead, and Joey is one of the prime suspects. Between feeling the police aren't doing their job, being stalked by the paparazzi, and being harassed via social media, Joey finds herself investigating the murder.

I liked Joey. She's a likeable character, friendly but naive, which seemed at odds for working in the film industry. But it worked for me. Joey saved the book for me as I wanted to know how she would connect the dots and figure out the mystery.

Where the book suffered a bit for me was the extensive world-building. Many first books in a series have to find that balance between the plot and world-building. I almost gave up on Final Cut, around the 30% mark, as I felt overwhelmed by all the characters and the details of being behind the scenes on a film set. Most of it didn't have a bearing on the actual plot, but in a way, it was setting the stage. Finding out the author has worked in the industry for years, the information comes from experience, making it interesting but overwhelming. Now that a foundation has been laid, any future books in the series will hopefully be less staggering.

Final Cut is a good start to theHollywood Mystery series with a satisfying mystery, main character, and the world created. I look forward to reading book two, Star Struck, once it is released.