The Star Society by Gabriella Saab; Harper Collins; © 2026; ISBN 9781400-351305; 430 pages; plus author’s notes; $18.99 Amazon.
By Cailin Acosta in La Mesa, California
This historical novel is loosely inspired by Audrey Hepburn, the Dutch Resistance, and the glamour of Hollywood’s Golden Age. It follows two sisters as they reunite after World War II and embark on a journey filled with justice, survival, and long-buried secrets against the backdrop of the Red Scare in Hollywood.
Ada Worthington-Fox, born Alieda van Esten, is a rising Hollywood star in 1946. Before finding fame, she lived in war-torn Arnhem, Holland, where she worked with the Dutch Resistance. After being imprisoned by the Gestapo and later released, she fled Europe to begin a new life in America.
Despite her success, Ada is haunted by memories of the war. She carries a skull-branded tattoo on her left breast, a mark of her past that she keeps hidden and never discusses.
Meanwhile, her twin sister, Ingrid, escaped the Nazi invasion and settled in Washington, D.C., where she became a private investigator during the Red Scare. She is assigned to investigate communist influence within the film industry and is sent to Hollywood to look into Ada Worthington-Fox—the sister she believes survived the war. Ironically, Ada believes Ingrid died years earlier.
The sisters’ relationship is complicated by years of separation, trauma, love, and questions of loyalty. To gain Ada’s trust, Ingrid protects her from reporters and damaging rumors while quietly investigating the exclusive Star Society parties. Ada, meanwhile, conceals her wartime experiences while maintaining her glamorous public image. Rumors persist that her lavish gatherings attract individuals suspected of supporting communist causes.
At the same time, Ada is pursuing a mission of her own: finding the Gestapo agent who terrorized her hometown and changed her life forever. When her mother finally reveals the truth about the past, Ada realizes that uncovering it could expose secrets she has desperately tried to keep hidden from the public. As fear of communism grows and threatens everyone around her, Ada turns to Ingrid, believing her sister’s connections in Washington may be her only hope.
As Ingrid’s investigation intensifies and Ada closes in on her target, the sisters must decide what matters most: justice or safety, silence or truth, and whether their loyalty to one another is worth risking the lives they fought so hard to rebuild after the war.
When Ada refuses to testify during a court hearing, she is sentenced to three months in a women’s prison. Following her release, the family is reunited, and life appears to return to normal. Ada resumes hosting star-studded Hollywood parties. Yet both sisters share a dangerous secret—one that could destroy everything they have built if it is ever revealed.
This novel was a fascinating read that kept me on the edge of my seat. I eagerly turned the pages to discover what the investigation would uncover and whether it would strengthen the sisters’ bond or tear them apart forever.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.