Bit Player

Old movies, old memories, old crimes - and present-day murder. Oakland PI Jeri Howard finds all of these when a chance encounter in a movie memorabilia shop sets her on an investigation into her grandmother's past life in Hollywood. Before marrying Jeri's grandfather during World War II, Jerusha Layne worked as a bit player, an actress who spoke a few lines in movie backgrounds.

Her dreams of stardom never came true. But did she play another role, that of suspect in the unsolved 1942 murder of an actor? And Jeri must also solve a current mystery: Are old movie posters so valuable that someone would kill for them?