Introduction

In the summer of 1941, Hollywood heats up again when Humphrey Bogart arrives right after a female corpse with a dead bird stuffed inside her overcoat topples into the office of B. Norman Investigations. While filming The Maltese Falcon, Bogie found a mysterious ancient Egyptian hawk artifact on his doorstep containing a mummified black bird. Someone with dark intentions threatens the main cast, one by one, leaving dead birds, from crows to falcons, as their calling cards.

While more murders pile up, jeopardizing the film from being finished, Bogie hires private eyes Babs Norman and Guy Brandt, infuriating his volatile third wife, Mayo Methot, or Sluggy, as she's known in some circles. Unraveling the personal lives of Mary Astor, John Huston, Sydney Greenstreet, Elisha Cook, Jr., Peter Lorre, and Jack L. Warner in their quirky, humorous way, the PIs turn the underbelly of Tinseltown upside down to stop the crazed killer from claiming another victim.

"A delectable mystery set in the Golden Age of Hollywood, Elizabeth Crowens Bye, Bye Blackbird is a fantastic addition to her Babs Norman series with a treat of a cast featuring Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre and other screen legends from the era brought to stunning life."— Lee Matthew Goldberg, award-nominated author of The Great Gimmelmans and The Mentor

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Excerpt

Chapter 1
Look at the Birdie!
Hollywood 1941

On Friday, July 4th, only the most essential, dedicated, or insane Los Angelenos punched the clock. Established businesses that usually stayed open closed early that afternoon. For the fledgling ones, like the young private detectives at B. Norman Investigations, there would be no weenie roasts, barbeques, or national holiday celebrations. Death would soon follow. Every electric fan they owned hummed its own tune. Between the fan blades whirring and the cats purring, panting dogs, who could qualify as hotdogs, an injured pelican with its wing in a sling, and their janitor’s wisecracking myna bird, the whole kit and caboodle at Hollywood Boulevard and N. Sycamore resembled a cross between the Humane Society and the Griffith Park Zoo. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

From the author:
1. What was your favorite part of the book?
2. What was your least favorite?
3. Which scene stuck with you the most?
4. Did you feel the book was educational? Did you learn something new from the book that you hadn’t expected?
5. What surprised you the most about the book?
6. Does this book remind you of any other books or films?
7. Would you ever consider re-reading the book? Why or why not?
8. If this book were adapted to film, who would you like to see in the cast?
9. What characters did you like the best? Which did you like the least?
10. How did the setting impact the story? Would you want to read more books set in 1940s Hollywood?
11. Which twist surprised you the most?
12. Did you guess the ending? If so, at what point?
13. Would you definitely recommend this author and read other books that will come up in this series?
14. Are you curious about the other books this author has written, even if they are in a different genre?

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