Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Pray for Us Sinners-The Hollywood Murder Mysteries by Peter S. Fischer, Grove Point Press

“War is being waged at Notre-Dame-des-Victories. This is not a battleground….this is a church in the center of Quebec City, Canada…At stake is not life…but the well being of a motion picture…..on one side we have Montgomery Clift…..on the other side, we have Alfred Hitchcock…the film is entitled  “I Confess”.”  And so begins this murder mystery novel as seen through the eyes of Joe Bernardi, a Press Agent, on location for Warner Studios. He narrates the fictional story with humor, sarcasm and preciseness.

Initially, he is searching for a former friend. “I hired Wiley to track down my former live-in, Bunny Lesher, who I had every intention of making my wife number two.” So tell me, how does Bernardi get involved in a murder mystery? “I’m Jeanne d’Arcy with the Quebec Province Film Commission and you’re my new assistant.” She is a beautiful redhead reminiscent of Rita Hayworth. When she is arrested for the murder of her boyfriend, Bernardi jumps into action to prove her innocence.

This novel reads like a classic black and white noir film. It is smooth, smart and sassy. You can imagine the main character narrating his unspoken thoughts as the story progresses. All that was missing was the suspenseful music.

Mr. Fischer has written a classy novel. It has all the mystery and  ‘who-dunnit’ panache of a novel-to-movie screen in the making. If you love murder mysteries in true form, then this is the book for you. I recommend that all murder mystery fiction lovers grab a copy right away. Kudos! to you Mr. Fischer.



(I receive this book free from Grove Point Press for review purposes)

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