Shamus in the Green Room (Cece Caruso Mysteries)

Los Angeles writer Cece Caruso is thrilled that her biography of the legendary Dashiell Hammett is headed for the big screen. Rafe Simic, the actor cast as the lead, may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but the money she'll make tutoring him in the ABCs of The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man should be good enough to feed Cece's addiction to vintage Yves St. Laurent. But when the dead body of one of Rafe's old flames is discovered—and neither the facts nor the hunky star's alibi add up—Cece can't help but ask questions. However, the twists in this case would confound Sam Spade himself. And in her zeal to win justice for the deceased, Cece might end up pulling the plug on the movie—if someone doesn't pull the plug on Cece first. Publishers Weekly Kandel's fun, stylish third Cece Caruso mystery (after 2005's Not a Girl Detective) finds the tall, 40-ish, vintage fashion-fixated biographer consulting on the movie based on her new book, Dash!, starring heart-throb Rafe Simic (of the rippling biceps and laid-back attitude) as Dashiell Hammett and his creation, Sam Spade. One problem, though-Rafe doesn't like to read. Cece and Rafe's research trip to San Francisco is interrupted when Rafe receives a call from the L.A. coroner's office asking him to identify a dead body. Back in Los Angeles, Rafe says the victim is Maren Levander, his childhood sweetheart and the sister of his best friend and manager, Will. Cece once again turns amateur detective in a plot sure to tickle Hammett fans. Venice Beach and the 1970s surfing scene serve as nostalgic background, while Cece's not always easy relationships with her cop fianc , Peter Gambino, and her married grown daughter add human interest. 3-city author tour. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information. Los Angeles writer Cece Caruso is thrilled that her biography of the legendary Dashiell Hammett is headed for the big screen. Rafe Simic, the actor cast as the lead, may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but the money she'll make tutoring him in the ABCs of The Maltese Falcon and The Thin Man should be good enough to feed Cece's addiction to vintage Yves St. Laurent.But when the dead body of one of Rafe's old flames is discovered — and neither the "facts" nor the hunky star's alibi add up — Cece can't help but ask questions. However, the twists in this case would confound Sam Spade himself. And in her zeal to win justice for the deceased, Cece might end up pulling the plug on the movie — if someone doesn't pull the plug on Cece first. "Los Angeles writer Cece Caruso is thrilled that her biography of the legendary Dashiell Hammett is headed for the big screen. Even better, she's been hired to tutor Rafe Simic, the actor cast as the lead. Okay, so he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. At least he's easy on the eyes, and the money's good enough to feed Cece's addiction to vintage Yves St. Laurent." -- from the publisher Title from PDF title page (viewed on Apr. 22, 2009).