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12th out of 55 books
—
25 voters
The G-String Murders
A mystery set in the underworld of burlesque theater, The G-String Murders was penned in 1941 by the legendary queen of the stripteasers—the witty and wisecracking Gypsy Rose Lee. Narrating a twisted tale of a backstage double murder, Lee provides a fascinating look behind the scenes of burlesque, richly populated by the likes of strippers Lolita LaVerne and Gee Gee Graham...more
Paperback, 240 pages
Published
June 1st 2005
by The Feminist Press at CUNY
(first published 1941)
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Feb 09, 2013
Bettie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommended to Bettie by:
Abbey
Shelves:
film-only,
winter-20122013
p 87 February House
This wouldn't three
for anyone else but me
Sucker for a happy ending!!
This wouldn't three
for anyone else but me
Sucker for a happy ending!!
3 likes · like · see review
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The G-String Murders is one of those books that is eclipsed by the fame of its author, in this case the most famous strip-tease artiste of them all, Gypsy Rose Lee.
For many years it was claimed that the book was ghost-written by successful mystery writer Craig Rice (a pseudonym used by Georgiana Ann Craig). It now seems to be generally accepted that in fact Gypsy Rose Lee wrote the book herself. Actually it’s fairly obvious that she did - the book is quite rough round the edges, the pacing is no...more
For many years it was claimed that the book was ghost-written by successful mystery writer Craig Rice (a pseudonym used by Georgiana Ann Craig). It now seems to be generally accepted that in fact Gypsy Rose Lee wrote the book herself. Actually it’s fairly obvious that she did - the book is quite rough round the edges, the pacing is no...more
I am a big fan of burlesque so having a novel based in a burlesque theater by a burlesque star? Fantastic! A noir/pulp novel? Woo!
The book, while good, was not great. But I didn't go into it expecting it to be amazing. I went into it to be entertained. And entertained I was.
The characters, while sometimes confusing if they were minor ones, interacted in a way that made me believe all of Gypsy Rose Lee's experience. They seem like a fun - if not vindictive - bunch. And while I had to question Bif...more
The book, while good, was not great. But I didn't go into it expecting it to be amazing. I went into it to be entertained. And entertained I was.
The characters, while sometimes confusing if they were minor ones, interacted in a way that made me believe all of Gypsy Rose Lee's experience. They seem like a fun - if not vindictive - bunch. And while I had to question Bif...more
Believe it or not, I uncovered this book at a screening of THE LADY OF BURLESQUE starring Barbara Stanwick. In the opening credits, it is stated .. based on a book by Gypsy Rose Lee! Well of course that peaked my curiosity and a internet search was under way! Published in 1941 and a best seller, it was part of a series of Pulp Fiction books written by Women. Unlike the movie, the book stars Gypsy herself as the lead. The book was noted for giving a look at the behind the scenes at a burlesque th...more
The provocative title of this burlesque novel is, I’m afraid, its most provocative part. Given that it was written in the 1940s, I suppose I shouldn’t be that surprised. The G-String Murders follows the adventures of Gypsy Rose Lee, writing about herself, imagining a fictional string of murders in the burlesque house where she does her shows. The novel’s title refers to the article of clothing used to strangle the two strip-tease artists murdered in the course of the novel. A few thoughts:
In my...more
In my...more
I couldn't finish this book, and had to take it back to the library, so I sort of abandoned it. It's full of verve and atmosphere, and the glimpses of backstage burlesque are wonderful. But as a crime novel it was just too confusing, and I really was scratching my head a lot trying to figure out where it was all going. I suppose I'll try again for historical reasons -- Gypsy is awesome, and it's worth tryna finish her book, I guess. But it didn't grab me the way I thought it would based on readi...more
Boy even after all these years the con is still on. This book was not written by Gypsy Rose Lee it was written by Craig Rice. Later paperback editions even listed the writer as Craig Rice after they thought the cat was out of the bag. The Catalog of Crime by Hartwig and Tayor list it as by Rice so does the Bibliography of Crime. Seems unbelieveable to me that a modern publisher would issue it as by Lee without doing a least a little homework. Almost any collector of the period would have told th...more
Someone is murdering strippers with their own G-strings! Gypsy Rose Lee, author, stripper, and amateur detective is on the case, mostly to try to keep from being murdered herself. The cast of characters are also the cast of the theatre, as well as other employees, and they are quite the colorful bunch! I did have a hard time remembering who everyone was at the beginning, but soon caught on. The language and ambiance of the setting were evocative; I felt quite immersed. The mystery kept me guessi...more
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I was very excited to discover that Gypsy Rose Lee had written a novel! It was first published in 1941 and set during the heyday of the New York burlesque scene of the 30s. It was a very enjoyable book. The writing was a little strange and inconsistent. As a whodunit it also wasn't much of a success but neither of these things are why you should be reading this book. This book is enjoyable because it's a fascinating glimpse into the burlesque scene, the raids, the theatre, acts, costumes, the ba...more
This is a mixed review.
The Bad: If you are looking for a good mystery/noir/pulp, or even hard boiled detective novel, but this book back on the shelf and get something from Dashiell Hammett. The strippers are a bunch of "squawking dames", there is really no heroine to speak of and quiet frankly all of the characters are vague and unlikeable. Add that to the fact that you could park a 1940's apple green Buick into the plot holes and you have yourself a book not worth reading.
The Good: The book r...more
The Bad: If you are looking for a good mystery/noir/pulp, or even hard boiled detective novel, but this book back on the shelf and get something from Dashiell Hammett. The strippers are a bunch of "squawking dames", there is really no heroine to speak of and quiet frankly all of the characters are vague and unlikeable. Add that to the fact that you could park a 1940's apple green Buick into the plot holes and you have yourself a book not worth reading.
The Good: The book r...more
Long before her life story because the quintessential Broadway musical Gypsy, Gypsy Rose Lee (AKA Rose Louise Havoc) had led a lot of life. She was on the vaudeville circuit at the age of 5, a striptease artist at the age of 15, and the reigning Queen of Burlesque by the age of 20.
But Gypsy Rose Lee was also an author. In addition to penning her memoirs that would later inspire Gypsy: A Musical Fable, she used her experiences in burlesque to pen the fictional mystery The G-String Murders: The S...more
But Gypsy Rose Lee was also an author. In addition to penning her memoirs that would later inspire Gypsy: A Musical Fable, she used her experiences in burlesque to pen the fictional mystery The G-String Murders: The S...more
This book was a fun read. I won it at a work party and let it languish on my bookshelf. Then, when I was reading Peggy Guggenheim's memoir she mentions Gipsy Rose as a sort of scenester from back in the day (she had a few drawings in a group show in PG's gallery). My interest piqued, I decided to make it my summer vacation read.
It isn't Tolstoy, but it was a worthy vacation read. The story line of these sort of b-movie americana detective stories has become fascinating to me ever since a friend...more
It isn't Tolstoy, but it was a worthy vacation read. The story line of these sort of b-movie americana detective stories has become fascinating to me ever since a friend...more
Good as a lark, but only because it was written by Lee. A few too many characters to follow easily. Maybe better than the movie--definitely racier. Creates a reasonable amount of tension, and explains plausibly (well, at least for this kind of book) all that happens. A little dated, too, which makes it hard. Someone's killing off the strippers, but why??
Really 3.5
Really 3.5
Saw a short biography of Gypsy Rose Lee on the television show "Sunday Morning" in which it was disclosed that she wrote a mystery. Sooo I decided to seek it out.
She made herself a character in the book, but she assigned some of her signature moves and remarks to other characters, and not to herself. Interesting burlesque background/history and realistic dressing room dialogue. Otherwise pretty light reading.
I can say I read it, and would only recommend it to the likewise curious reader.
She made herself a character in the book, but she assigned some of her signature moves and remarks to other characters, and not to herself. Interesting burlesque background/history and realistic dressing room dialogue. Otherwise pretty light reading.
I can say I read it, and would only recommend it to the likewise curious reader.
A mystery supposedly written by the famous burlesque dancer Gypsey Rose. There is questions about whether perhaps it was ghost written, but it was released under her name in the early part of the 20th century. This is a part of a series of reprints put out by the Feminist Press.
This wasn't the best writing in the world and the book was FULL of typos which was very distracting. It was fun to read a book by Gypsy Rose Lee, as I always loved the movie with Natalie Wood from way back when. If you are looking for a tight and sound mystery, skip this one. If you want to have a little fun and see inside the world of burlesque, go for it. It can easily be read in 1/2 a day.
This is a dreadful book but a sentimental favorite as I read it as a child. I knew even then that it was not well-written, but something about the fact that Gypsy Rose Lee actually thought to write it somehow touched me then and now.
Old school murder mystery by the legendary stripper - terrific. The movie based on it with Barbara Stanwick is also great.
This is a great read if you love burlesque and murder mystery cause it has the 2 all in one. It's a very captivating book and will suck you right it. I personal loved it!
I have an incredible first edition of this. Dying to read it but afraid the pages will crumble to dust!
I really liked it, and think it still holds up today. I am curious if she wrote any other mysteries.
This was a fun read. I bought it because of the author, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
"*** I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads ***
** The Giveaway was Listed By Cary **
* I received my copy on Fri Nov 9, 2012 *
THANK YOU GOODREADS FIRST READS AND Cary! "
An interesting story. Very nostalgic which makes it difficult to visualize in some aspects. For the most part characters are left up to your imagination as far as visualizing them which can be positive since you can decide what they look like to you. If you are not familiar with Burlesque it will be difficult...more
** The Giveaway was Listed By Cary **
* I received my copy on Fri Nov 9, 2012 *
THANK YOU GOODREADS FIRST READS AND Cary! "
An interesting story. Very nostalgic which makes it difficult to visualize in some aspects. For the most part characters are left up to your imagination as far as visualizing them which can be positive since you can decide what they look like to you. If you are not familiar with Burlesque it will be difficult...more
A period piece. A good read, and who would have guessed that Gypsy Rose Lee could write. What really amazes me is that this book was one of the few books in my very prudish grandma's bookcase!
Written by Gypsy Rose Lee? This sounds amazing.
The view of a burlesque theater was as interesting (or more so) than the mystery.
I liked the movie much more.
Fun to read...
As well as being a hardboiled pulp novel, this celebrity-penned curiosity also convincingly de-glamourises the world of striptease and burlesque.
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