The Parlor PI's discussion
Marlene Dietrich Murder Case Open Chat starts Jan. 8.
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I'll start this one in a day or 2. Sounds fun!
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I couldn't wait and started reading last night after dinner. OH boy, I think I'm to like this book!! The psychics seem like a fun bunch (one of them mentioned visiting the FDR estate which is in my neighborhood)! I love when I find local mentions!
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Glad there are more books. Wish they'd revive the series and do 2017 reprints so that the stories were back in circulation. Nicole, do you know if there are downloadable copies of this one? The PI's are missing out on a good read; e-copies would make it more available to all.
I haven't been able to find a Kindle edition.
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Liking this story a lot but a list of characters at start would help. Love the idea that Bela Lugosi is one of the guests at Dietrich's soiree. LOL
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Sadly, I'm not finished yet. My crummy cold made reading a chore for a few days. I read some last night and I think I'm halfway done. The characters make me chuckle at times. The funny thing is, I keep wondering who the characters are. Such as, I know Marlene was an actress back then but some of the others' names are not familiar to me. Did she really know all those people who came to her party? Who are the fictional characters and who aren't? I guess it doesn't really matter in the end but I'm curious!
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I'm coming along slowly. Some parts are hard to understand yet interesting. So many on top of it all. I should've started a character list.
I'm sort of interested now in reading more about Marlene (after I finish this book). I might look around for a biography. She sounds like an interesting person. I am sad to say I don't even know if I've seen any of her movies. I might have but nothing comes to mind.
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Hildegard (spl?) character is a trip. To think Hitler wanted Marlene for his own. Wonder if that bit is based on fact. Things seem to point that way.
DONE!! Finished this morning. I tried to finish it last night but my eyelids got heavy by 11pm. I was suspicious of one character when he said that he wasn't an actor but Marlene said YES he was! That lead me to believe he wasn't who he claimed to be.
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LOL now I really have to look up one of her movies. I'll see if my library has any.
Tina wrote: "Nicole, an aside to the book: they claim her to be a great beauty but I don't see it. She always looked a bit spooky but that was as a kid. However, that impression never left me. lol"No, she wasn't a great beauty like Grace Kelly but Marlene Dietrich was certainly an interesting and unique individual. She had a unique look about her. She was different and that's what made her stand out as an actress and singer.
She was glamorous as far as i could tell from the piures ive seen. I thought she had a great sense of humor in the book although that could have been from the author's imagination.
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Excellent point, PI LM. Many people don't even know who MD is but you do and you nailed it.
Tina wrote: "She reminded me somewhat of Tallulah Bankhead. They both had those husky voices and man eating attitudes.Excellent point, PI LM. Many people don't even know who MD is but you do and you nailed it."
Good comparison! Tallulah Bankhead is very much similar to Dietrich -- both unique and memorable women! Now that you mention about that "husky voice" and the unique personalities they both had, my mind jumps to Jane Wilkinson (Lady Edgware) from Lord Edgware Dies who possesses a husky voice and a unique kind of personality. I wonder if Agatha Christie based Jane Wilkinson off of one (or both) of these women, hmmm . . . . .
Dietrich (though she was German) & Bankhead were both American actresses, just like Lady Edgware was. I know Christie had to know about these two women, though she wasn't much a fan of films and the cinema as she was of the stage.
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Tina wrote: "Hmmm, strong possibility there, LM. Will be interesting to learn more on the creation of Lady Edg."Unfortunately, there isn't any information in Christie's autobiography or other references of whom Lady Edgware was inspired by, unlike Carlotta Adams who was based on impersonator Ruth Draper whose live performances Christie admired. Hmmm, perhaps we'll discuss this in a future book discussion ;)
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One thing on this MD book, the writing is a little slow but it is kept intresting with all the Hollywood stars as characters and trivia be it fictional or fact.
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Two murders and one suicide. Will be interesting to see how they all tie in. Getting there. ;-)
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Tina wrote: "Wow, those Old Hollywood types were pretty brutal. Thought they had more class than reality celebs of today but it may not be so. Just a little more private about their dealings."No, mostly the "class" was on screen but their personal lives were another story. Their personal lives are like a reality TV show . . . . lots of drama! Thank goodness it was private rather than on TV and all in the news like today. Wished it was kept that way these days.
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No,..."
So do I, LM.
Are any of you thinking about reading another book in this series?
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Maybe, Nicole but it'll have to be in a while as I'm so behind on my reading. But yes, probably. How about you? Did you like it enough to want to read more by this author?
Not sure but I'll look at his other titles and maybe put one on my TBR shelf for the future so i don't forget.
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This is neither here nor there but as I bought a used copy which was musty, I was sneezing through most of the read which made me avoid getting to the story. I've allergies and it's one of the reasons I prefer new books.
Just received my copy. Bought it for a penny & S&H from Ammy. A very clean book, great deal!
Tucked into the first few pages. Lots of Hollywood chat chat and backdrop. Loving it!!