Twenty years ago, it looked as if Madison James was all set to become one of the brightest stars in the Hollywood film industry. However, after three movie roles she dropped off the scene and didn’t appear in any more film productions. Now she works as a waitress at The Jones restaurant and tries to get by. One day she heads out to an audition and disappears, her purse found by a hiker on a trail in the Laurel Canyon. Detectives Delaney and Moreno are assigned to the case from Missing Persons, sifting through tips from wannabe detectives and examining Madison’s past to find clues to her whereabouts. What has happened to Madison James and is she still alive?

The Final Act tells Madison’s story from two periods – her early days in Hollywood in 2004 and her current reality in 2024. The reader experiences all the excitement and promise of Madison’s introduction into the movie industry and her dreams of landing a good role in the next audition. This is contrasted with the darker side of the industry that takes Madison’s innocence away – the drug use, cutthroat competition, and sexual exploitation of young women. There is also a macabre fascination around young women that are assaulted and murdered in Hollywood, in which their deaths are fetishized and glorified as entertainment.

This novel had me in its grip! I turned pages feverishly all day and could not stop until I knew what happened. I love the way that Lisa Gray was able to peel away the layers and show the dark side of Tinseltown and the showbiz dream, without dimming its perpetual sparkle. A fantastic thriller and destined to be one of my top reads in 2024. Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer for the digital ARC. I am thrilled to be a part of @ThrillerBookLoversThePulse and tell you that this should be on your list when it is published on 1 July 2024!