THE BOOK

“A magnificent debut novel, taking readers on an enthralling journey with the famed and fêted as they make their mark on American culture.” — Bill Dedman, Pulitzer Prize winner, New York TImes #1 bestselling author

Lady Be Good transports us to the glittering, sumptuous era of 1920s New York as the exquisite American socialite Dorothy Hale comes of age. From convent-school debutante runaway to Ziegfeld showgirl to millionaire’s wife, Hale transforms herself into one of the most adored figures in the highest echelons of society. Yet behind the public façade the darling of the press contends with heart-rending loss, gossip and betrayal, and a tempestuous friendship with Clare Boothe Luce.

Surrounded by her fabulous circle of friends—Gertrude Stein, Fred Astaire, Cole Porter, James Roosevelt, Elsa Maxwell, and other iconic figures—Dorothy finds her way to the other side of heartbreak and prepares for a White House wedding. Then, suddenly, at age thirty-three, at the height of happiness and peak of her fame, she falls to her death. Her life story is revised and written into history by the tabloids and the famed and fêted that once stood by her side—leading to this novel’s stunning conclusion.

In her vibrant debut novel, former NBC producer Pamela Hamilton turns her journalism skills to discovering the facts about Dorothy Hale’s story, then spins them with color and life into breathtaking revelations about the irresistible and misunderstood glamour girl whose legend has endured for more than half a century.