Book Review: A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner

 


My book review of A Map to Paradise by Susan Messner.


Title: A Map to Paradise

By: Susan Meissner

Genre: Historical

Pages: 352

Release Date: March 1st, 2025

Rating: ★★★★★

 

Summary from Goodreads:

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

With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation.

Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone?
 
As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke…

 

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Review:

Susan Meissner’s A Map to Paradise is a spellbinding tale of secrets, survival, and unlikely alliances set against the sun-drenched yet shadowed backdrop of 1956 Malibu. With Hollywood starlet Melanie Cole navigating life on the blacklist, a war-scarred housekeeper, Eva, and a mysterious disappearance in their secluded Paradise Circle, Meissner masterfully unravels a plot brimming with intrigue and emotional depth. The nuanced relationships between the three women, bound by circumstance yet divided by their own guarded truths, are at the heart of this riveting narrative. Meissner’s atmospheric prose and her ability to blend suspense with poignant reflections on identity and trust make this book an unforgettable journey. It’s no wonder this earned a solid 5 stars and a spot on my favorites list.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

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