Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne

Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne are the authors behind The Antiquity Affair and The Starlets, published by Harper Muse. Lee Kelly is the author With Regrets and two novels for young adults, City of Savages and A Criminal Magic. Jennifer Thorne is the author of Lute, Diavola (a USA Today bestseller), published by Tor/Nightfire, and the picture book Construction Zoo. As Jenn Marie Thorne, she is the author of the YA novels The Wrong Side of Right, The Inside of Out, and Night Music.

Agent

Katelyn Detweiler

The Starlets

Real life is turning out to be stranger than a script for the silver screen.Summer, 1958. Vivienne Rhodes thinks she’s finally landed her break playing Helen in Apex Pictures’ big-budget Troy epic, A Thousand Ships, an anticipated blockbuster meant to resurrect the failing studio. Naturally, she’s devastated when she arrives on the remote Italian island of Tavalli and finds herself cast as Cassandra—while her nemesis, the fiancée-stealing Lottie Lawrence, America’s supposed “sweetheart,” is headlining instead.The tension on set, though, turns deadly when the ladies discover that members of the crew are using the production as a front for something decidedly illegal—and that they are willing to kill to keep their dealings under wraps. When the two women find themselves on the run and holding key evidence, Vivienne and Lottie frantically agree to work together to deliver the proof to Interpol, hoping to protect both their lives and their careers.Staying one step ahead of corrupt cops and looming mobsters, the archrivals flee across the seas. Their journey leads them into Monaco’s casinos, Grace Kelly’s palace, on a road trip through the Alps—even onto another film set, before a final showdown on Tavalli, where the lives of the entire cast and crew hang in the balance. Vivienne and Lottie finally have the chance to be real heroines—to save the day, the film, maybe even each other—but only if they can first figure out how to share the spotlight.

Praise for The Starlets

“Pass the popcorn and settle in for a terrific time with this seamlessly crafted blend of historical fiction and old-school suspense.” —Library Journal, starred review

“Kelly and Thorne follow up The Antiquity Affair with a spry and suspenseful crime novel set just after Hollywood’s golden age….For movie buffs, this will be as welcome as a cool breeze on a hot day.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The Starlets is the most fun I’ve had inside the pages of a book in a long time. The novel flips “friends to foe” on its head, putting two competing actresses in the spotlight, transforming the starlets from adversaries to allies as they race across Europe to take down a kingpin. Shenanigans, quick thinking, and a cat-and-mouse game ensue. A propulsive, page-turning romp perfect for book clubs.” –USA Today bestselling author Jenni L. Walsh

“Glamour. Danger. Adventure. Enemies to besties. Yes, please! This book has just the right touches of killer (pun intended) locations that our heroines get to zip around Europe like an exploded champagne cork. Throw in some Hollywood touches, Esther Williams vibes, and this story is served like the perfect cocktail.” –J’nell Ciesielski, author of The Winged Tiara

“Well-crafted and deliciously devourable, The Starlets tosses you onto a Hollywood movie set filled with everything you’d expect and want—glitz and glamor, love, jealousy, extravagance, jaunts across Europe . . . and murder! Plot twists abound when archrivals unite as real-life heroines who must save the day or all is lost, including their lives! A page-turning, exhilarating wild ride of a story that I devoured in a single weekend!” —Jennifer Moorman, bestselling author of The Magic All Around

“The glamorous 1950s setting, the plot twists, the romp across Europe, the chemistry between Vivienne and Lottie, ambitious, at-odds movie starlets who must join forces to save the picture and their lives – everything about The Starlets is a sheer delight! This fast-paced caper from the writing duo of Kelly and Thorne is fresh, fun, and exactly the escape readers need right now.” —Marie Bostwick, New York Times bestselling author of Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly

“Kelly and Thorne are a phenomenal duo . . . two brilliant authors with boundless talent and a singularly remarkable voice.” —Elle Cosimano, New York Times bestselling author of the Finlay Donovan series

“The Starlets captivates from the first sentence. Brimming with Old Hollywood glamour, a twisty plot, and feuding film stars navigating increasingly sticky situations, this atmospheric, engrossing caper is your next must-read!” —Rachel Linden, bestselling author of The Enlightenment of Bees and The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie

The Antiquity Affair

Two estranged sisters must band together to solve a puzzle three millennia in the making in this female-heroine take on Indiana Jones.

1907: The dawn of Egyptology is a time of imperialism and plunder, opulence and unrest, and Dr. Warren Ford, esteemed archaeologist, is the man of the hour. His daughters—prim intellectual Lila, on the eve of her debut as a Manhattan socialite, and doting nonconformist Tess, who dreams of following in his footsteps—have always lived their lives in the shadow of their famous father’s exploits. But when a secretive organization becomes intent on finding a lost artifact legendary for its dangerous power, it isn’t Dr. Ford they turn their sights on—it’s his two remarkable daughters.

Tess and Lila called themselves The Fearless Fords in their childhood, dreaming of daring international adventures together, but the sisters have barely spoken for years. Presented now with a grand adventure and a puzzle that will require all their wits, the two women face a choice. Will they follow the clues fast enough to win the ultimate prize? Or will they prove clever enough to change the game entirely?

The Antiquity Affair is a high stakes trans-Atlantic thrill ride, with the page-turning excitement and romance of classic adventure novels and a poignant story of sisterhood at its core—all the messy and beautiful truths of what it means to be family.

Praise for The Antiquity Affair

“Authors Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne have written a rollicking tale replete with adventure, romance, mystery, and a sprinkle of the supernatural. The Antiquity Affair has been likened to Indiana Jones, and it’s an apt comparison, as both are rousing adventure stories complete with ancient mysteries, hidden tombs, harrowing mantraps and pitfalls, villains bent on world domination, and fabled relics of power . . . The authors neatly subvert the trope of swashbuckling men and their archeological treasure. A fast-paced and entertaining read that I hope is not the last from Kelly and Thorne.” —Historical Novel Society

“A deliciously entertaining, swashbuckling adventure…” —Lori Goldstein, author of Love Theodosia: A Novel of Theodosia Burr and Philip Hamilton

“A rousing, page-turning romp across Egypt!” —Jenni L. Walsh, author of Call of the Wrens

Publisher

Harper Muse

Publication Date

June 6, 2023

Age Category

Adult

Genre

Historical

Rights

JGLM