You Might As Well Die: An Algonquin Round Table Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

J.J. Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Release date: December 6, 2011 | Series: Algonquin Round Table (Book 2)

When second-rate illustrator Ernie MacGuffin's artistic works triple in value following his apparent suicide off the Brooklyn Bridge, Dorothy Parker smells something fishy. Enlisting the help of magician and skeptic Harry Houdini, she goes to a séance held by MacGuffin's mistress, where Ernie's ghostly voice seems hauntingly real...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Murphy not only does an excellent job capturing the feel and flavor of New York during the 1920s, he deftly infuses his own writing with some of Parker's distinctively dry brand of wit. Readers who enjoy cozy historical mysteries will definitely want to add the Algonquin Round Table series to their reading lists." -- ReaderToReader.com

"Well researched and well-written, You Might As Well Die shows author J.J. Murphy to be a talented and intelligent writer, whose fictional characters remain true to the spirits of their originals ... You Might As Well Die and its predecessor, Murder Your Darlings, are bonbons for fans of the 1920s." -- Gumshoe Reivew

"'You Might as Well Die' is a great read. I can't wait to see what mischief J.J. Murphy has planned for book three in this series." -- Suspense Magazine

"Highly entertaining." -- Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Signet; Original edition (December 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451235320
• ISBN-13: 978-0451235329
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,898 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

They told J.J. Murphy: "Write what you know." So J.J. wrote a mystery about people who joke, drink and write--not necessarily in that order. (It's a far cry from being home with the kids.) In writing the Round Table Mysteries, J.J. Murphy aims to recreate the "anything goes" heyday of the Roaring 20s--a time when wit and champagne sparkled on the tongue, a time when hemlines were short and lunches were long, a time when writers and editors were as famous as the stars on Broadway. In other words, J.J. writes pure fiction (well...not quite so pure).

www.roundtablemysteries.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Murphy does it again... December 15, 2011

By Katrina E. Niidas Holm

Format:Mass Market Paperback

You Might as Well Die is the follow-up to author J. J. Murphy's stellar first Algonquin Round Table Mystery, Murder Your Darlings. I'll admit, this book made me nervous. I mean, I flat-out adored Murder Your Darlings; what if Murphy was unable to capture lighting in a bottle a second time? It turns out I worried for naught, though; You Might as Well Die is a madcap tale of murder, lies, mystery, and intrigue, with some bootleg gin thrown in for good measure, and it doesn't disappoint. (Think Dashiell Hammett's The Thin Man meets--well, any of P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves & Wooster novels, and you've got the picture.) Murphy's prose is witty and graceful, his imagery is striking, and his story positively drips with atmosphere. The mystery is cleverly plotted, and though I both anticipated Murphy's plot twist and correctly guessed the identity of his killer, the ride was no less enjoyable for it. And while we don't get to spend quite as much of this book lunching with the Vicious Circle or drinking in Tony Soma's speakeasy as I might have liked, getting to watch Alexander Woollcott and Harpo Marx wreak havoc on the streets of New York with their own unique brand of extreme croquet and witnessing Houdini perform the halftime show of the very first NFL game ever played fills the void quite nicely.

The humor in this second Algonquin Round Table Mystery is less Dorothy Parker than it is "Who's on first?"-era Abbott & Costello, but Murphy prevents things from becoming too vaudevillian by tackling some heavier issues than you might expect to find in a traditional mystery. From discussions of suicide to lonely moments spent in the special hell that is unrequited love, Murphy knows exactly when to undercut a serious scene with humor and when to just let that moment be, and he does so here with grace and aplomb.

And then, of course, there's Dorothy Parker. In my review of Murder Your Darlings, I complimented Murphy on the way he managed to humanize Parker without diminishing her, and with You Might as Well Die, that compliment still stands. Murphy paints Parker as equal parts caustic and insecure. Readers are just as likely to identify with her as they are to sit in awe of her, and in my mind, you can't hope for much more from a heroine.

The best books don't merely entertain, they transport, and in You Might as Well Die, J.J. Murphy has created a time machine you'll want to fire up again and again.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthy follow-up to the first Dorothy Parker cozy mystery December 11, 2011

By Esther Schindler TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I adored JJ Murphy's first novel starring Dorothy Parker as the protagonist, Murder Your Darlings: Algonquin Round Table Mystery, and I said so. Apparently someone at the publishing company noticed it, because a copy of this second in the series, You Might As Well Die, arrived unheralded on my doorstep. Cool. As you might imagine, it went to the top of my MUST READ NOW pile. (Let us not discuss the size of this pile; I'm convinced that some items at the bottom have turned to coal.)

I like this mystery novel, and -- especially if you read the first book -- I think you will, too. As in the previous book, the author brings in 1920s characters and events and puts them into everyday life... at the same time that there's a mystery to solve (with the help of the Algonquin Table). In this case, our supporting cast features Harry Houdini in the context of, shall we say, art appreciation and what it takes to become a success in that business.

With, of course, the clever repartee for which the Algonquin Table members were known. "Well, you know what they say," Robert Benchley says. "Monet isn't everything." The woman he's speaking to responds, "You can keep your Impressionists. I prefer the Baroque artists." Benchley, again: "Every artist I ever met was br-oke."

This book didn't elicit quite the same sense of "OH MY GOD YOU MUST READ THIS" in which I pressed the book upon my friends (especially my writer friends). Perhaps it's just that in the first novel, *everyone* is a new character (who could, for all we know, be the evildoer), so the reader's sense of exploration is expanded. Perhaps it's because the clever repartee isn't on quite as many pages; there's lots of running around New York chasing clues, so it's a teensy bit more serious.

But I absolutely enjoyed You Might As Well Die. If you read the first book, I can assure you that you will not be disappointed. If you haven't read the first one... well, *do*; while this _could_ stand alone, the first book will set the stage for you charmingly. In that case: Buy both. You won't be sorry.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder and Laughter In the Roaring Twenties January 28, 2012

By M. Newman

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This wonderfully amusing book is a great sequel to "Murder Your Darlings." The wisecracking Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and the other members of the Algonquin Roundtable get to work solving another mystery with the help of famous contemporaries, Harry Houdini and Harpo Marx.
Ernie MacGuffin, an annoying second-rate artist who hung on the fringes of the Round Table Group slips Ms. Parker a suicide note, instructing her not to read it until after midnight. Hours later he apparently leaps to his death from the Brooklyn Bridge. As a result, his artwork triples in value and Dorothy experiences pangs of guilt for not preventing the suicide.
Something smells fishy, however, and Dorothy and friends investigate, encountering a cast of zany characters along the way.Like Murphy's first book, this one was a pleasure to read, providing humor, mystery and a vivid taste of New York City during the Roaring Twenties.