In 1955, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edna Ferber is visiting Hollywood to watch the filming of her best-selling novel Giant.  It is to star Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean.  She is repulsed by how the show has distorted the thinking of everyone, being filled with rivalries and jealousies.  She becomes fascinated by the young James Dean who is brilliant, infuriating and unreliable but the hottest item in town.  He has become vulnerable to blackmail letters from Carisa Krause, an unstable bit player who had been removed from the production. When Carisa is found murdered, Dean becomes the prime suspect.  Ferber begins an investigation into the murder with the help of actress Mercedes McCambridge.  They have to look beyond the rivalries and jealousies to find the truth. There are a lot of suspects with a surprise ending.

Lone Star offers a picture of 1955 Hollywood, giving a fascinating view into the workings of the movie world.  It introduces many of the stars of the day with insight into their personalities.  The story moves rapidly and holds the reader's interest as much with the mystery as with the interplay of the personalities with their rivalries and jealousies.