Rachel West and the Fallen Starlet

The entertaining if overstuffed adult debut from YA author Mills (Something Close to Magic) follows a tabloid reporter who digs into the death of a disgraced former child actor in 2008 Los Angeles. Molly Byrne, the once-promising star of hit TV show A Is for Arnold, can’t catch a break with the press, which seems hellbent on publishing unflattering coverage of the 24-year-old’s every move. One night, Rachel West, a med school dropout and copy editor for Icon magazine, runs into Molly in a nightclub bathroom and the two become fast friends. When Molly’s body is found in her Beverly Hills home a short time later, the public dismisses her demise as the inevitable overdose of yet another troubled starlet, but Rachel—who knew Molly had stopped using drugs—suspects foul play. As she evolves from gossip journalist to full-fledged investigator, Mills peppers the action with surprising reveals, but she stymies the momentum with a host of indistinct side characters whose personal dramas crowd the narrative. Still, readers in search of a winning dose of late-aughts nostalgia and an endearing heroine will find them here. Agent: Bridget Smith, JABberwocky Literary. (May)