Book Review: Who Killed the Movie Star? by Lily Malone

Title: Who Killed the Movie Star?
Author: Lily Malone
Series: Book #2
Publisher: Self Published
Publication Date: 7th July 2018
Pages: 170
Format Read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the author

It’s Sunday morning on a long weekend in the quirky little town of Cowaramup and Cally Minter and her best friend Sienna are about to host a new murder mystery game, Who Killed The Movie Star?

But before an arrow can be shot from its bow, the girls are in a pickle. The Sheriff of Nottingham has gone rogue; they’ve lost a Maid Marian, and someone keeps reporting them to the local police for shooting their guests.

In all the confusion, Lovely First Class Constable Daniel Reardon becomes a regular visitor to Butterfly House, and if Cally plays her cards right… whoever murdered the movie star might not be the only one in handcuffs by sunset.

Who Killed The Movie Star, the sequel to Who Killed The Bride, combines cozy mystery and comedy with a romantic twist.

Who Killed the Movie Star is the Second Butterfly House story by Lily Malone.

I absolutely loved Who Killed the Bride. It was a fun read with just enough action to keep the reader turning the pages.

Book two is just as much fun with plenty of laugh out loud moments. Cally is gorgeous and unquestionably a romantic at heart. You can’t help but like Cally, she says exactly what she’s thinking and quite often it’s something awkward, embarrassing and a bit odd.

Cally’s dad Paul Minter, a well known author, is staying at Butterfly House whilst he attends a local writers’ festival and an overzealous fan gives for some hilarious moments and disastrous misunderstandings which have the lovely First Class Senior Constable Daniel Reardon visiting Butterfly House on more than one occasion.

There is a bit of tension in this story as a long held secret is revealed but all ends on a good note making you see that the world really is filled with lovely people.

I love this book it gives you a nice warm feeling about life and love.

Thank you Lily for writing book 2, they are both books I will read over and over.

My rating 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is book #19 in the Australian Women Writers challenge

and part of the Book Lover Book Review Aussie Author Challenge.

Following is my review of Book #1 which I read before I started this blog.

Who Killed the Bride? Is a cozy mystery with laugh out loud moments and characters I’m sure Malone has grabbed straight from the streets of her own home town.

Cally has her heart set on starting her own business, a Cluedo style show and dinner combination. Her father thinks she is writing the next prize winning literary fiction.

Cally and best friend, Sienna, have been planning their first play, Who Killed the Bride, for months. Finally it’s the opening day, what could possibly go wrong.

I fell in love with the gorgeous Cally. What a wonderful, genuine character she is. She blurts out whatever is on her mind before she has time to think about it which is cause for some funny situations. The town of Cowaramup sounds like the most fun place ever, even though I have no idea how to pronounce it. Malone has included some real town events to colour this fictional world which gives it an added level believability.

Who Killed the Bride is filled with mystery, twists, suspense, some one sided romance and lots of humour. I think this would make a fantastic stage show.

I’m looking forward to the next Butterfly House mystery, Who Killed the Movie Star, and maybe a little more insight into the characters of Sienna and Tyson.

I would recommend this easy read to anyone that likes a bit of fun. 

Lily Malone might have been a painter, except her year-old son put a golf club through her canvas, so she wrote her first contemporary romance novel instead.


Lily loves wine,walking, gardening, (and walking in gardens, sometimes with wine) and many of her romances are set in the vineyards and wine regions of Australia, particularly in Margaret River and the Great Southern in Western Australia, and Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia where she spent most of the 2000s.

Lily lives in Cowaramup with her very handsome husband, and two sons who take after their dad.


On a last note I would like to say how beautiful the covers are and how fantastic they look together.
Cover art by Kerry Sibly. You can see more of her work at Mukau Gallery