Known to me from the film Dirty Dancing, the historical setting of the Catskill Summer Resort Mystery series is a traditional, much-loved refuge from the heat of New York City over summer for those who could afford it. Those who could not hoped to gain employment. Elizabeth Grady manages the fine Haggerman’s Catskills Resort which her mother inherited.
DEADLY DIRECTOR’S CUT casts a highly enjoyable eye on how movies were made during the 1950s. Filming on the location brings in money to the resort and gives the guests excitement and conversation, plus some autographs. But oh, the chaos when a filmmaker dies unexpectedly. It’s enough to (almost) make Elizabeth forget to wear her girdle.
Bossy director Elias Theropodous left the nearest upstate New York town behind years ago, and it pretty much forgot him too. Richard Kennelwood owns another, plusher resort in the area, and Elias insists in staying in the best rooms, leaving some of the cast and crew to Haggerman’s. The Hollywood of that day saw little respect between director and talent, reduced roles for women over forty, and playboy antics by handsome young men. Quite a lot is conveyed during the story. Of course, some of the younger resort staff, like Velvet, are starstruck, and who could blame them? Cinema was a novelty.
Elizabeth’s Aunt Tatiana, who raised her, and her mother Olivia Peters (a few marriages past) were originally from Russia. Close comparisons with real families running resorts could have consequences, especially in a crime story. Other than that, their origin serves to explain why Elizabeth didn’t grow up in the nearby town. She has made friends among business people, but she doesn’t know everyone; she doesn’t yet even know the name of every person on her staff. But she does understand that people depend on her for a job, and if, as seems likely, suspicions of poison are examined, the resort could be closed.
The lively cast includes actors and actresses, a chauffeur, chef, busboys and cleaners, and an endearing bulldog called Winston. Gathering like bees to honey come New York’s journalists and local police. As I hadn’t read the first book I couldn’t keep track of all the staff names, but mostly their jobs are sufficient definition, and the stars of present or past silver screens make DEADLY DIRECTOR’S CUT a winning mystery.
Famous director Elias Theropodous has chosen Haggerman’s Catskills Resort as a shooting location for his next film. It sounds glamorous to much of the staff, but resort manager Elizabeth Grady is less satisfied. Dealing with the ridiculous demands of the antagonistic director is bad enough, and his attempts to walk all over Elizabeth are making her feel like her position at the resort has been changed into a bit part.
But when Elias is poisoned during a dinner at the resort, the future of the film and the resort itself are on the line. Between an aging movie star, a harried producer, and former victims of the deceased director’s wrath, Elizabeth has a full cast of suspects to examine, and she’ll need to investigate every lead to catch a killer.
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