A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

1956, Malibu, California: Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

March 2025; Berkley; 978-0593332863
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); historical fiction

It's 1956, the war is over and American politicians are working to publicize the names of people who are thought to be members of the Communist Party.  The Hollywood blacklist was a list of people in the entertainment industry that were ineligible for employment because of their suspected ties to the communist party.  A Map to Paradise looks at three women who are struggling to find happiness in their lives despite all that is going on in the world.

Melanie is an actress who had a major role in a hit movie.  Her name is on the blacklist because her co-star in the movie is suspected of being a Communist.  They acted like a couple in love to help publicize the movie so she is also a suspect.  To keep her safe, her boyfriend makes arrangements for her to live in a house in Malibu, far away from reporters.  Melanie wants to go back to acting and doesn't understand why she is unable to work in Hollywood.  The only people that she talks to are her cleaning lady, Eva who is an immigrant from war-torn Europe, and her neighbor Elwood who is a script writer with agoraphobia and lives with his sister-in-law next door. Early one morning she sees Elwood's sister-in-law, Jane, digging in his rosebushes.  After that, she's unable to get him to the phone and she becomes suspicious of Jane.  She sends Eva next door to help with the cleaning but wants Eva to find out what's happened to Elwood.  Eva wants to keep a low profile because she lied on her entry forms to the US and is fearful of being sent back to Europe.

All three of these women are hiding secrets from the world.  In the beginning, they aren't friends - they are individually doing what they can to survive in their worlds.  As several secrets come to light, their friendship begins to grow.  But can they really trust each other or are they only setting themselves up for trouble?

I really enjoyed this book.  All three women were very strong in their own way.  Even Melanie who was the most naive grows as she becomes involved with the other two women.  This book is full of suspense - a fire in Malibu, a possible dead body, and the blacklist in Hollywood all add to the story and make it an interesting look at America in the 1950s.  I really liked all three female characters but my favorite was Eva who had been through so much in her life and had the most to lose if her secret was revealed. 

Be sure to read the Author's Notes at the end of the book to find out more about the author's research into the beginnings of the Cold War and the blacklisting of the early 50s.  This was another great book by Susan Meissner.

Buy A Map to Paradise at Amazon

Susan Roberts grew up in Michigan but loves the laid-back life at her home in the Piedmont area of North Carolina where she is three hours from the beach to the east and the mountains in the west.  She reads almost anything but her favorite genres are Southern Fiction and Historical Fiction.   

 

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