Though Missing Reels is set in 1980s Manhattan and is focused on silent film, this debut novel from classic-film blogger Farran Smith Nehme is artfully fresh and intriguing.
Ceinwen Reilly, a small-town girl from the Midwest and newcomer to Avenue C, works with her two roommates at a vintage clothing store under a truly terrible boss. All three are obsessed with vintage fashion and classic movies, but none more than Ceinwen. When she discovers that an old film star lives in her building--the stunning and mysterious Miriam--Ceinwen makes it her mission to track down the movie in which her neighbor once starred. She enlists the help of Matthew, an aloof New York University math professor who has access to a variety of archives, in an attempt to unearth a number of film reels that likely don't even exist anymore. Though the odds are stacked against her, Ceinwen is determined not only to find and restore the missing reels but also to win Matthew's heart.
Ceinwen, a classic leading lady, relies on hard work, her passion for bygone cinema and a surprising amount of ingenuity to locate the film. While it's no surprise that Nehme nails the old Hollywood elements of the plot, the mood of this decade is also captured perfectly. References to shoulder pads as the height of style and descriptions of roast beef on rye as a standard lunch (few were vegan or gluten-free in this era) take readers 30 years back in time, with enthralling results. --Natalie Papailiou, author of blog MILF: Mother I'd Like to Friend