In this sixth book in the SAMMY KEYES series, Sammy decides that she has to hop a Greyhound bus for Hollywood, pronto. Her mother Lana is there, you see, still trying to become the "Big Star." But in Lana's search to be discovered, she has lost all touch with reality. You know what she gave Sammy for Christmas? A fuzzy, soft, angora sweater. Pink. Is that out of touch with reality or what? It would go great with Sammy's high-tops, wouldn't it? Then, when Sammy's grandmother visited Lana in Hollywood, she found out Lana had changed her name --- to Dominique Windsor. On top of which, the new Dominique told everybody that her own mother was really her grandmother --- and she tells Grams not to say anything about Sammy; nobody knows Dominique/Lana has a 13-year-old daughter. How could she those things? She's knocked a good 10 years off her age, saying she's only 25 years old, now.

Well, denying Sammy is one thing. But when Sammy's mom denies her own mother, Sammy and her friend Marissa hop the Greyhound after school on a long, three-day weekend to go reacquaint Lady Lana with some reality. They discover that Lana/Dominique has gotten a phony driver's licence, with a phony birthday on it. She has had phony press clippings made, with phony acting credits. She wears peach satin robes, and she's bleached her hair blonde. She's living in a mansion that looks like the Egyptian museum, and there are mummies everywhere. Dead mummies. Even live mummies, if you can believe that. And Sammy's mom, otherwise known as "Peachy Bleachy," is up to her ears in big trouble, but she doesn't know it. She thinks her only problem is Sammy showing up, and she tells Sammy that she and Marissa have to hop the bus right back to Santa Martina the very next day.

Only thing is, the very next day, somebody who looks just like Lana is found murdered in Lana's bed. The bed the victim had traded with Lana so Sammy and Marissa could sleep overnight in a larger room. Creepy? Yeah. And the museum they live in is full of people who had motives to do it. Even Lana had a motive. The dead lady was competing for the same big role, which could have been the big break both of them needed. And just when Sammy was awakened by loud poundings on the wall between the two rooms, at 3:30 in the morning, Lana was gone. She said she was in the bathroom taking aspirin for her headache.

Is Sammy's mom a murderer? Or lucky to still be alive? If somebody was really trying to kill her and missed, will the killer try again? And who, besides the victim, could want her dead? How is that phony driver's license going to haunt Lana? Why is it very bad news that "Dominique" is only 25 years old and has a brand-new birthday? Bet you can't guess. But you will sure want to find out.

   --- Reviewed by Tamara Penny