Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Design for Dying | 2016 | Renee Patrick | Buy |
| 2 | Dangerous to Know | 2017 | Renee Patrick | Buy |
| 3 | Script for Scandal | 2020 | Renee Patrick | Buy |
| 4 | The Sharpest Needle | 2021 | Renee Patrick | Buy |
| 5 | Idle Gossip | 2022 | Renee Patrick | Buy |
The series opens with Design for Dying in 2016 and follows Lillian Frost, a department store shopgirl who keeps stumbling into the dangerous overlap between Hollywood glamour and real crime. Her connection to Edith Head gives her access to the studio world that a working-class woman would not normally have.
Edith Head is written as a practical and sharp-eyed partner rather than a celebrity cameo. She uses her position and professional eye to observe things others miss, and the dynamic between her and Lillian is one of the series’ consistent pleasures.
The five books span different corners of the film industry: costume departments, radio productions, screenwriting culture, and the social events where stars and criminals moved in the same circles. The historical research is evident but never slows the stories down.