The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Murder Case [Hardcover]

George Baxt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1997

In 1953 Hollywood, dancing legends Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers prepare to dance with Russia's Baronovitch Ballet, but the two have trouble concentrating on the show while investigating a murder.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Los Angeles, 1953. A visiting Russian ballet company, America's legendary dancing partners, the era's anti-Communist hysteria and a pair of Hollywood detectives mix to a leaden effect in the latest in Baxt's celebrity series (The William Powell and Myrna Loy Murder Case, etc.). Sol Hurok has brought the legendary Baronovitch Ballet Company to America and will feature them with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in a highly touted TV special. A huge, celebrity-laden ball is given in Hollywood to welcome the corps. The CIA, urged on by the House Un-American Activities Committee, asks Fred and Ginger to spy on the troupe. The KGB spies on the CIA; romantic liaisons and clandestine meetings proliferate; and, when Ginger's psychiatrist, a Russian emigre and possible double agent, is poisoned at this fete, suspicion falls upon just about everyone. Two seasoned Hollywood police detectives and a henna-haired friend, who makes her living selling gossip, speed to the doctor's home and mix puns, wisecracks and nasty asides with their perfunctory police work. Zingy one-liners and zany cameo appearances by bygone celebs aren't enough to keep this tale on its toes.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Baxt has made a career of putting stars from Hollywood's golden age into the middle of mysteries. This time, it's 1953, and Fred and Ginger are reuniting in a rather unlikely project. Joining the Barnovitch Ballet, they will be performing Rasputin and the Empress, and while the rest of the company will be on their toes, Fred (Rasputin) and Ginger (the empress) will be tapping their way across Russia. Impresario Sol Hurok, who is staging the extravaganza, throws a lavish Hollywood party to introduce the project. The place is crawling with KGB and CIA, and then there's that unfortunate murder of Ginger's Russian psychiatrist. Who has time to tap? Although not the best of the series (too many Russians, too much plot), this is still a comedic caper. Baxt's fans will certainly appreciate another foray into La-La Land, complete with all the requisite gossip and glamour. Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312151292
• ISBN-13: 978-0312151294
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,722,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars odd, yet..., June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Murder Case (Hardcover)

Like many of Baxt's novels, this one goes a little off-track with all the characters and spies, et cetera. However, that, in this humble reader's opinion, is part of the charm. These mysteries were obviously not written for deep, critical analysis, but for simple enjoyment. All the characters, and there are many, are fleshed out, and if the plot lacks bits that are shoved in a bit too hurriedly at the end, well that's just part of the charm. Another three cheers for George Baxt. And for Fred and Ginger.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable, if Implausible, Read, March 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Murder Case (Hardcover)

I picked up this book because I have always loved Astaire and Rodgers. However, when I started reading, I was dissapointed. The plot seems a little farfetched. I think there were too many characters, and I kept wondering why everybody knew each other. Russia is a large country, but reading this book makes it seem like a small town. However, this book did manage to keep me interested in what happened at the end. I would read it for distraction because it is by no means great literature.

3.0 out of 5 stars Dance Until You Drop, April 19, 2004

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Murder Case (Hardcover)

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were a wonderful on-screen pair and everyone loved their simple charm. I think Baxt captures that charm in this little book. Like all of his celebrity mysteries, this is a satire, and I think it portrays the McCarthy hearings quite well. Life in Hollywood in 1953 was difficult and everyone looked at everyone else to try to figure our whether or not they were "commies". In this book we see Fred and Ginger smack in the middle of a Russian espionage scam. Ginger's therapist dies and Villon and Mallory know that he was poisoned. What's his background and history? They find out and its a world of double agents, family rivalries and Communist underworld. Of course Villon figures it out, but even he is surprised to find out who the "kingpin" is.