2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A Few Good Stories But an Average Overall Collection, March 27, 2007
Mysteries Writers of America have put out some good collections in their time but Show Business is Murder is not in the top league of collections that most of the others are. There are a lot more less well known authors in this collection and it is pretty obvious that a lot unless they had one of shockers will not be well known names in years to come.
Saying that though there are a few good stories which would rate five starts. I will go into detail with them at the bottom of the list of stories. Since there's no information at all on this book on Amazon I've listed them all and their authors. These stories are based around the entertainment industry from TV film, busking, Elvis impersonators to talking dogs. It's a pretty wide field of stories under the Show Business is Murder theme.
Small Time in His Heart - Carolyn Wheat
Money on Red - Edward D. Hoch
Razzle Dazzle - Annette Brafman Meyers
Arful - John Lutz
Blonde Moment - Elaine Viets
Lah Tee Dah - Angela Zeman
Just Another Hollywood Ending - David Bart
The Search of Robert Rich - Bob Shayne
Murder at the Heartbreak Hotel - Mark Terry
Bring Me the Head of Osama bin Laden - Gary Phillips
Line Reading - Parnell Hall
Arrangements - Susanne Sharphren
A Berlin Story - Libby Fischer Hellmann
Goin' West - Charles Ardai
All Said and Done - Gregg Hurwitz
Fred Menace, Commie for Hire - Steve Hockensmith
The Dying Artist - Shelly Freydont
On the Bubble - Ropert Lopresti
Slap - Mat Coward
Break a Leg - Double Tiger Productions Inc.
The best of the above stories are Arful by John Lutz about a guy who buys a secret talking dog of a dieing star then regrets his purchase. Blonde Moment by Elaine Viets about an aging TV journalist, jealous of her much more attractive and younger co-worker who she knows will replace her, the ageing one plans to get rid of the competition one way or the other. Slap by Mat Coward about a slapping mugger who assaults women and steals there handbags who suddenly gets his Hollywood break but has to constantly worry he will be recognised by one of his victims.
Recently I read another Mystery Writers of America short story collection titled
Mystery Writers of America Presents Death Do Us Part: New Stories about Love, Lust, and Murder which was just about full of five star worthy rating stories. My advice would be to get that one instead
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