A Beautiful Way To Die by Eleni Kyriacou #ABeautifulWayToDie @elenikwriter @AriaFiction ‪@elenikwriter.bsky.social‬‪ @headofzeus.bsky.social‬ #BookReview

 

PLAY THEIR GAME
Hollywood, 1953. Young actress Ginny Watkins is turning heads. Even the legendary - and married - actor Max Whitman can't resist the allure of the hottest new starlet. He promises Ginny the world, in return for the right favour.

DO WHAT THEY SAY
London, 1954. Stella Hope, once the most famous actress in Hollywood, has been ousted to Ealing Studios after her divorce from the powerful Max. Just as she accepts her fate, she receives a letter, blackmailing her for a mistake she made many years ago.

OR THEY'LL BURY YOU
Two women on either side of stardom find themselves in the orbit of the same beguiling man. And one night, in the shadows of a glamorous Oscars afterparty, their lives are changed forever.

A Beautiful Way to Die delves into the decadence and depravity of the early film industry from Hollywood to London. Perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Babylon.

A Beautiful Way to Die by Eleni Kyriacou was published on 8 May 2025 by Head of Zeus / Aria Fiction. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.

This review was originally published in the June 2025 edition of The Mature Times. 

Eleni Kyriacou is an extremely skilful author, she has produced a plot that is compelling, addictive and thrilling. Her ability to create female characters is outstanding. In this classy, glamorous thriller we are served up two of the strongest characters in Ginny and Stella. 

The novel is set over two years; Ginny narrates events in Hollywood in 1953 whilst Stella relates her experiences in Ealing Studios, London in the following year. 

Ginny is new to Hollywood, with dreams of becoming the next big thing. She won a competition that enabled her to have an audition, but there’s no guarantee of a contract. Ginny has no money, if she doesn’t make it out there, there’s no way home. 

Stella has been at the top of the game. One half of a power couple with her husband Max Whitman, she was the most famous actress in Hollywood. However, her divorce from Max also means she has been ousted and is now acting in lower budget films for an English production company. 

Whilst the two timelines are separate, there are times when they over lap and the reader becomes aware of things that the characters know nothing about.  It’s a cleverly structured novel, the ideal way to tell all sides of the story whilst keeping that hint of tension and drama. 

It is Max Whitman who is the pivotal point in the plot. He is the man who connects Ginny and Stella and he is the man who is the most dangerous character in the book.  The author has created that old-school Hollywood glamour that everyone is aware of, but has also described the dark and dangerous underbelly of lies and deceit, and worse, that lie beneath the glitter. 

Powerful, compelling, glamorous and riveting. 

Eleni Kyriacou is an award-winning editor and journalist. 

Her writing has appeared in the Guardian, the Observer, Grazia, and Red, among others. 

She's the daughter of Greek Cypriot immigrant parents, and her novel, The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou, was selected as a BBC Between the Covers Book Club pick. 

Follow her on @EleniKWriter and www.elenikwriter.com