MURDER OFF STAGE

Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford give full rein to the sleuthing sideline of the former vaudevillian who works for them.

Jessie Beckett has gone by many names in her career and made many friends. One of them is Adele Astaire, soon to leave for London with her brother, Freddy. First, though, Adele invites Jessie to join her in watching a Pulitzer Prize–winning Broadway play. When leading man Allen Crenshaw is shot dead in front of a horrified crowd, Adele is more than willing to help Jessie do a little sleuthing, especially since it’s clear that newly minted Detective Benjamin Quinn isn’t up to the job and since Jessie’s own experiences helping LA detective Carl Delaney have proved her adept at gathering information. The gun used in the scene was supposed to contain blanks. So did actress Norah Rose change out the bullets to kill the leading man who’d recently dumped her? As a well-known lady's man, Crenshaw had plenty of enemies, beginning with his wife, and a bit of digging turns up even more suspects. Quinn, who’s enamored of Adele, is more than happy to let Jessie investigate. New troubles arise when Jessie’s boyfriend breaks out of prison and shows up in New York, where Murder Inc. offers him a job in Cuba and he asks her to join him. Next to arrive is Delaney, an altogether better bet as a lover and a significant help in solving the twisty case.

Movie stars, historical detail, and a clever mystery combine for a fun read.