The Final Act by Lisa Gray @lisagraywriter @leheny_leheny @brilliancepublishing

the setup…
Detective Sarah Delaney was preparing for her first day in the LAPD Missing Persons Unit, transferring from the elite Robbery Homicide Division (RHD), coming in on the weekend to move her things. She learns that her new partner Rob Delaney is at Griffith Park where the purse of one of his missing persons was just discovered and decides to join him. Madison James, a long struggling actress who found fame twenty years ago as a scream queen is missing and this discovery makes the case more serious. When the young woman who found the purse posts a video on TikTok, the search for James becomes a national obsession.

the heart of the story…
The story is told from two points of view, Sarah Delaney’s in the present and Madison James’s from twenty years earlier when she was cast in her first scream movie. Both gave me deep insights into the sordid part of Hollywood where directors and producers take advantage of young women’s hopes and dreams. I like dual time lines and this one was exceptional where the past was juxtaposed against the present and, sadly, not much had changed.

the narration…
I’m a fan of Vivienne Leheny and her storytelling here was outstanding. She gave Dana and Madison distinctive voice, seeming to capture the essence of each’s personality.

the bottom line…
It reminiscent of old Hollywood casting couches but updated in more modern terms since it never really went away. Dana and Rob are challenged to find anyone willing to be truthful as they searched for Madison, even those who were supposed to have her interests at heart. I had my suspicions as to what was going on and was partly right but still missed the big reveal. It’s a cleverly written story that kept me engaged through the end, which had the best epilogue. And, it feels like it could be the start of more to come.

Book Info

• Release Date: July 1, 2024
• Narrator: Vivienne Leheny
• Audio Length: 7 hours, 13 minutes
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio

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(Thanks to Brilliance Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)