The Bette Davis Murder Case (Hardcover)

by George Baxt (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Readers may have to be fastened in their seats for this bumpy read as Baxt (The Marlene Dietrich Murder Case) resurrects another Hollywood celebrity for an encounter with murder. Between ferocious puffs on her cigarette, a tempestuous Bette is in London, playing an unaccustomed supporting role as she helps Agatha Christie, married here to archeologist Max Mallowan, solve a series of murders. Former nurse Agatha suspects that her neighbor Virgil Wynn, also an archeologist, is being slowly poisoned. Bette has been introduced to the Wynns by a spiritualist she met while sailing to London, where she's to act in a film while fighting studio chief Jack Warner and shedding her bandleader husband. Overplotted, undercharacterized and longer on movie lore than logic, this tale is a waste of its readers' brain cells.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Marlene Dietrich, Noel Coward, and Talullah Bankhead are among the many stars who have appeared in earlier installments of Baxt's long-running celebrity mystery series, and now it's Bette Davis' turn. Set in England, where Davis is visiting, the story turns on the death of an archaeologist, who just happens to possess a greedy family. A talented medium plays a role in the proceedings, as does a nosy neighbor who just happens to be Agatha Christie. The mystery itself holds few surprises, but characterization is right on the money, and that's where the fun comes in. Baxt does a mean Bette Davis, and the rest of the gang has silver-screen quality as well. Fans of Christie's cozy mysteries are the logical audience for this meeting of sweet Agatha and tough Bette. Ilene Cooper

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (August 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312109393
• ISBN-13: 978-0312109394
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,024 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BETTE MEETS AGATHA TO CATCH A KILLER!, March 23, 2002

By	Robert Edler "Master Of Mystery" (Saint Louis, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Bette Davis is having problems in Hollywood. Warner Brothers won't provide the juicy parts she needs to broaden her screen career, and she wants to renegotiate her contract. Also, her marriage seems to be on the rocks. So naturally, she decides to sail to England to get away from it all. On the ship she meets Nydia Tilson, a prominent medium. And since Bette is looking for a place to live while in London, Nydia suggests she rent the mansion of her former fiancé, the famous archaeologist, Virgil Wynn. Bette is more that willing to do so.

Unfortunately, it appears as if someone is slowly murdering Virgil, who realizes this but with stiff British upper lip sits around fading away while planning to leave on his next (and probably last) archaeological dig.

Bette moves in the day Virgil that moves out for journey to Egypt. She also meets her next door neighbor a certain Mrs. Mallowan, who just happens to be a writer with a passion for eating apples.

The next morning Bette wakes to discover Virgil's dead body. Informing her neighbor of the situation Agatha Mallowan responds, "My specialité. A body in the library!"

The rest of the novel unwinds in true Christie-style with loads of suspicious friends, relatives and hired help. (Unfortunately, there's no butler who could have done it.)

As in all of his celebrity mysteries, Baxt has again thoroughly researched both the history of the era and the lives of Bette Davis and Agatha Christie. This results in a very believable and enjoyable work. This one set on my book shelf for a couple of years before I got around to reading it. So you might have a hard time finding a copy of it. If you do, grab it because it is a fun read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Satirical Mystery, January 31, 2004

By	S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Like all Baxt's entries in the famous people murder mysteries, this one is a true satire. In it we see the incomparable Miss Bette Davis as she takes up residence in England while waiting for her contract court case with Warner Brothers. She is staying in an archeologist's house and while there the archeologist is found dead in his own study. Bette is thrown in with her neighbour, none other than Agatha Christie the famous mystery writer to and they're trying to solve a murder. Before the book is done another death occurs, and the story rushes to its conclusion. The setting of the book only takes place over a 12-hour stretch and a lot happens in that time frame. Bette gets a taste of what a truly disfunctional family is like. The book was OK and there are lots of twists and turns, but I didn't find that it showed the true Bette. It missed somehow. She was a multi-faceted woman and a wonderful actress, but this book falls short a bit in its depiction of her true character. The mystery is fun though, and if read in the context of a satire is well worth it.