Actor

Stanley Hastings #8

by Parnell Hall

Early one summer morning, Stanley Hastings receives an unexpected phone call from Herbert Drake, an old college acquaintance and now the producer of a summer stock theater in rural Connecticut. Herbie's problem: An actor has dropped dead of a heart attack - a last-minute replacement is needed for the leading role in George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man. And even though he hasn't trod the boards in nearly twenty years, even though there are only two days of rehearsal before opening night, even though he knows nothing of Herbie's current associate, Stanley is bitten hard by the dreaded Acting Bug. Frantically trying to re-learn lines he hasn't spoken since his college production of the play, Stanley is charmed by Nellie Knight, the lovely young ingenue; infuriated by Avery Allington, the hammy soap-opera actor imported to give the show star appeal; and baffled by the diversity of the carnal and emotional intrigues that threaten to turn Arms and the Man into Peyton Place. And when the dress rehearsal is interrupted by murder, newcomer Stanley becomes the suspect of choice. The town police chief - an amateur actor himself - is delighted to let Stanley take over the detective work in an effort to clear himself of suspicion. But the amazing array of red herrings, and nearly everyone's cheerful assumption that Stanley is the killer, make his job as difficult as possible. Though not enough to prevent Stanley from leading his investigation to a knockout denouement in a scene that would make Mr. Shaw's beard curl - or elicit a standing ovation...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

273 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1993

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun,entertaining. An actor,writer and now a PI takes a week off to help an old friend.

[Joy · Rating 1 out of 5]

So boring quit before person was killed . .

If there i actually any witty or humorous art. I could not be masochistic enough to keep sloggin through to get there .

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was not my favorite of all the books i've read by this author so far

its about the theater which i dont like which would account for my not liking this book

his friend called him to come fill in at the play with 2 days notice as the lead died.

he was so excited, he left his wife and son (who dont play a big part like the wife did when he went on vacation at the inn or b&b as the case may be) and went to the small town

the man giving him the prompts was so bad he blew up and the man was fired. the man that took over did the prompts really well, but he was killed with a knife in the chest

so he had to help the police figure out who did it as they were thinking he was a suspect (I dont think they really did, they just wanted his inside help)

he solved the murder, plus the first actor that died was also murdered, cyanide, and he found the obnoxious actor is the one who did both. tied in with aids and secrets and affairs

im reading the first of the crossword series now, we'll see how that goes

then i requested more of the hastings ones, i like them the best so far!

[Alannah Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stanley Hastings, private detective for an ambulance-chasing New York lawyer finally gets his chance to be a lead actor on the stage - even if it is just in summer stock at a small playhouse in Connecticut rather than on Broadway. And he's filling in for the original lead, who's been pronounced dead of a heart attack. But Stanley Hastings is a lovable loser, and murder is right there to ruin his chance as an actor. The "Margie-Poo" bit wore very thin after the first couple of times, but otherwise this was an enjoyable read with great twists and turns.

[Shelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Parnell Hall has delivered a humorous mystery which kept me guessing till the end. With characters dubbed "Margie-poo" and "Herbie," I was hard-pressed not to giggle out loud, and my guess about who done it was way off.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little different than the prior books in the series, Stanley is away from his job and home performing in a summer stock play. His motivation for solving the murder is a little different and he is working with a detective that actually encouraged him to help solve it.

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too cozy for me.