Down And Out In Beverly Heels by Kathryn Leigh Scott

A year ago, Meg Barnes had it all.  Veteran of a hit TV series, she had a lovely home in Los Angeles, cars, designer clothes, and a new husband, Paul, she loved immensely.  But what a difference a year makes.  Paul calls her one day and tells her he has been kidnapped and to pay the ransom when she gets instructions.  She sends everything she owns but Paul is not returned.  Then the truth starts to emerge.  Paul is a con man, and he has taken not only all of Meg's money but that of her friends and anyone else he could convince to invest in his real estate schemes.

Meg leaves town, but is now back, trying to get reestablished in her life.  She has no home, no possessions, and is determined to not let anyone else know how desperate she is financially.  She is living in her car, showering at her gym, getting meals by volunteering at Meals on Wheels.  She finally lands a new acting job, and things start to get better in a small way.  The worst part is that those who know her seem to suspect that she was in on Paul's plans and not a victim herself.  Even her lawyer, Sid and his wife Carol, her best friend in LA, seem to be suspicious of what Meg might know.  Sid brings in a FBI agent, Jack Mitchell, who also seems to think Meg is no innocent in what has occurred.

Meg decides that in order to clear her name and get her life back, she needs to find Paul.  There are clues around that she starts to follow, and in turn, she realizes that she is being followed by some shady characters.  Meg and her new friend, Donna, become detectives and try to locate Paul and bring him to justice. Can they find him before everything explodes?

Kathryn Leigh Scott has written a sprightly mystery which would be characterized as a cozy mystery.  She knows the world she writes about, the backlots and acting stages of L.A., having been on the series Dark Shadows herself.  The reader is treated to an inside look at the acting industry as well as the way a resourceful woman can survive without money.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.