Too Dead To Swing [Abridged, Unabridged] [Audio Cassette]

Hal Glatzer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 7, 2000

Somebody's out for Blood! Its 1940, and musician Katy Green finds out how touch the road can be when she joins the uatra belles, A female swing band on tour in California. From the moment the band kicks off the set, you're caught in the rhythm of the music, and murder on the move.

Susan Egan heads a broadway cast in this thrilling vintage mystery, with swing songs performed by Ann Hampton Callaway.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This marvelously entertaining audio dramatization will appeal to fans of noir mysteries, old-time radio plays and 1940s swing music. Musician Katy Green is between gigs when she runs into her ex-boyfriend, songwriter Ted Nywatt, at an amusement park, along with the members of the all-girl swing band, the Ultra Belles, he has formed to showcase his songs. As they talk, the Ultra Belles' violinist is suddenly pushed off the pier by an unknown assailant. With the violinist out of commission, Ted asks Katy to take her place for the Ultra Belles' upcoming tour. From there, the action is fast and furious as, one by one, the Ultra Belles and their entourage are murdered. The audio production is excellent, with appropriate sound effects enhancing the settings without ever distracting from the story. Best of all is the authentic-sounding 1940s swing music, performed by Ann Hampton Callaway backed by a studio band. The entire cast acts superbly; especially convincing are Susan Egan as earnest, intelligent Katy; Simon Jones as the band's unflappable British publicist; Barbara Rosenblat as drunken Suzanne and Ann Meisels as defiant Jack, the tomboyish Communist member of the group. Fans of inventive audio drama will be thrilled to discover that this adaptation is merely the first installment in an original series of Katy Green mysteries. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A sort of film-noir for your tape deck....[It] combines the best of both radio plays and audio books." -- Computertimes, Sept. 2000

"Almost too good to be true....If you like old-time radio [and] show tunes, you oughta be in heaven." -- MERMANIAC, A Show Tunes Weblog, Sept. 2000

"Last year's best of the best.... [A] feast for the listener.... [T]ruly outstanding." -- Publishers Weekly, Jan. 1, 2001

"Marvelously entertaining...Outstanding production values, an excellent cast, an admirable attention to detail and some toe-tapping swing music." -- Publishers Weekly, Dec. 4, 2000

"The cat's meow....[1940] period details are spot on, and he [Glatzer] livens up the proceedings with catchy original songs." -- Los Angeles Times, Dec. 31, 2000

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Audio Playwrights; Limited edition (September 7, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970214707
• ISBN-13: 978-0970214706
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,328,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars So-so mystery performed by top talent, December 1, 2002

By 

Kinsey Millhone (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Dead To Swing (Audio Cassette)

As a mystery buff, I found the identity of the murderer in TOO DEAD TO SWING way too easy to figure out, but boy, did I have fun listening to this audiobook anyway! This is a real "audio play," performed by a full cast and including sound effects and even original musical numbers. Broadway actress Susan Egan, the voice of heroine/narrator Katy Green, is a delight, and the '40s setting is nicely evoked. While I enjoy regular audiobooks read by one person, I wish there were more full-cast productions like this one -- the only similar mystery audio plays I've been able to find are a couple of Ross MacDonald's books (SLEEPING BEAUTY and THE ZEBRA-STRIPED HEARSE). Books on tape have become a huge market and it would be nice to see publishers try something different than the usual one-reader approach. Bravo to Hal Glatzer and Audio Playwrights for daring to break the mold with this excellent production.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superbly written and murder mystery, March 18, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Dead To Swing (Audio Cassette)

Too Dead To Swing is a superbly written and murder mystery by Hannah Dobryn and set in 1940. Hal Glatzer has splendidly adapted Dobryn's novel as an audio-play complete with a brilliant cast, music, and sound effects. Katy Green is a musician who joins an all-girl swing band on tour through the United States. The problem is that members of the band are being injured and killed under the most puzzling of circumstances. Susan Egan heads a multiple performer Broadway cast in a vintage "whodunnit" that is wonderfully enhanced with original swing music performed by Ann Hampton Callaway. Too Dead To Swing is a 6 hour, four cassette, flawless production that is enthusiastically recommended for personal and community library audiobook collections.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An audio delight, May 13, 2002

By 

"feeler69" (the big easy) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Dead To Swing (Audio Cassette)

This audio play features original swing music and a talented cast. The pruduction quality is quite high and the listener really gets a feel of what was life like in the 1940's. It was a pleasure to listen to and I am looking forward to listening to it again. the story is a murder mystery which takes place while a female band tours the west coast. the actors used really brought each character to life and gave that character depth and a unique personality. There are also three original songs performed throughout the play and I have to confess are quite nice and romantic. If you like audiobooks and especially theatre of the mind this is a must to add to your collection.
This audiobook contains 4 cassettes and is about six hours long. The packaging also contains large print and braile labeling so this makes a perfect gift for someone who is visually impaired. It is the first time I have seen such thoughtfulness go into a comercially produced audiobook. Highly recommended