Death Before Bedtime (26 page)

There was loud applause when she appeared on stage with her accompanist.

A moment later the piano broke into one of the very grandest arias from
Norma
and Hermione’s voice, unearthly and loud, floated in the air.

Her subsequent stardom in nine movies is known to all; after the ninth she lost her voice and was forced to make personal appearances until the grim reaper laid her low. Her Town Hall debut was a public relations success though artistically her press was mixed. Virgil Thomson in the
Herald Tribune
summed up the general view when he said that her voice was a small one and not well trained; nevertheless, despite her unreadiness, he found her stage presence utterly beguiling and her graciousness, especially during the curtain calls, remarkable.

DEATH IN THE FIFTH POSITION

In
Death in the Fifth Position
, dashing P.R. man Peter Sargeant is hired by a ballet company on the eve of a major upcoming performance. Handling the press seems to be no problem, but when a rising star in the company is killed during the performance—dropped from thirty feet above the stage, crashing to her death in a perfect fifth position—Sargeant has a real case on his hands. As he ingratiates himself with the players behind the scenes (especially one lovely ballerina), he finds that this seemingly graceful ballet company is performing their most dramatic acts behind the curtain. There are sharp rivalries, sordid affairs, and shady characters. Sargeant, though, has no trouble staying on point and proving that the ballerina killer is no match for his keen eye and raffish charm.

Crime Fiction/978-0-307-74142-4

DEATH LIKES IT HOT

In
Death Likes It Hot
, Peter Sargeant travels out to a posh beach community to help a wealthy socialite plan an end-of-summer party. His enjoyment of the sun, the surf, and the company of a lovely young fashion reporter is interrupted by the death of the socialite’s niece: she mysteriously drowns while swimming on a crowded beach. No one suspects murder until the police find a lethal dose of sleeping pills in her system. As Sargeant watches the police’s investigation unfold, he keeps an eye on the grieving socialite; the victim’s famous painter husband; a suspiciously cheery brother and sister; and a garrulous tabloid columnist. Now, instead of planning guest lists, wine choices, and menus, Sargeant is faced with a killer unlike any he’s ever faced: highly sophisticated, devilishly clever, and just as smooth as he is.

Crime Fiction/978-0-307-74144-8

VINTAGE CRIME/BLACK LIZARD
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