The Talking Pictures Murder Case

Jacob Singer #4

by George Baxt

The advent of talking pictures causes chaos in Hollywood, and revenge is in the air as Alexander Roland of Diamond Films confronts tyrannical Marie Darling, a mother of fading screen stars.

Genres: Mystery

197 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

George Baxt, the US playwright, scriptwriter and novelist, in New York City, USA.

He began his career as a radio announcer, an actors' agent, and television scriptwriter. He claimed that as an actors' agent he threw James Dean out of his office because he needed a bath. George Baxt's career developed into scriptwriting cult horror films. He made a contribution to The Abominable Dr Phibes, although it was uncredited. His first novel A Queer Kind of Death, (1966), introduced the detective Pharoah Love who was the first in the genre to be both black and openly gay. The novel was very well received and marked the start of a new career in writing. Two further Pharoah Love novels soon appeared and were widely regarded as superior to the first. Nearly three decades passed before the final outings of Pharoah Love in two novels.

Meanwhile George Baxt introduced the detective duo Sylvia Plotkin and Max van Larsen, but these were soon abandoned and several non-series novels were produced. Starting with The Dorothy Parker Murder Case, George Baxt then began to use his knowledge of Hollywood life by using celebrities as characters in a series of detective novels.

He died following complications after heart surgery.

Interesting obituary here: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obi...

Reviews

[Pamela Mclaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not really sure what to think of this book. Perhaps it is better than I have been thinking throughout. I disliked every single person in this book. None have redeeming characters and I have a tough time thinking that old Hollywood was, well, moronic. Cutthroat, yes. Especially in those days when the studios were switching from silent films to talkies, or as they all say in the story, talkers.

Actors and actresses who looked good but couldn't talk and a new technology that forced them to stand and deliver their lines rather than moving as would be natural. It was a tough time for all.

And in this tale, someone is killing off a load of people. Are the deaths to ruin Alexander Roland, the head of Diamond Films? It seems like it. After all, most of the murdered are from his employ. Police inspector Herbert Villon is looking for the one clue that will lead to the murderer while Roland and the other studio heads try to keep their heads above water and those great silent actors struggle to stay pertinent. No one is happy and a lot are scared.

This is a clever story and it's interesting that it is told just about completely in conversations, instead of action. It is no surprise really — George Baxt (1923-2003) started his career as an agent in Britain, then became a writer for television and cinema. He wrote his first novel in 1966, but this book is from his series of Hollywood celebrity mysteries, starting with The Dorothy Parker Murder Case in 1984. If I could just get over the idea that these characters are really pathetic individuals ...

[Jane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my fourth mystery novel by Baxt and I really enjoyed the previous three. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t as familiar with the celebrities in this case, or because that’s the case it was just more noticeable in this novel, but the characters were very one dimensional. Not much character development either. Had a tough time getting myself interested in the plot or caring about any of the players in this one. Ending was a bit flat as well.