Eviction by Death - Hardcover

The much-debated death of the Elizabethan poet and playwright Christopher Marlowe is the linchpin of Cook's clever, historically accurate mystery debut. A playwright herself, as well as an expert on Elizabethan theater and history, Cook revels in period detail and atmosphere. She sets the scene for Marlowe's tale with vivid accounts of public hangings and tavern rowdiness. Marlowe is portrayed as beset by demons, "hellbent on his own destruction," and the flamboyant center of a colorful group of players and producers, whores and spies. Cook mines what little is known or suspected about Marlowe to great effect, emphasizing rumors alluding to his clandestine espionage mission for the Queen and involvement with Sir Walter Raleigh's secret society, the School of Night. Set against the gloom and hysteria attendant upon the plague and the rivalry between various playwrights, including Will Shakespeare, this tale of treason, homosexuality, and political intrigue offers an entertaining and credible solution to the riddle of Marlowe's ignoble demise.

Yeager's second Vic Bowering mystery is even funnier than her first, Cancellation by Death. This time around Vic, a leggy, redheaded, sharp-tongued, and hilariously disorganized sometime-actress living in New York City, is close to succumbing to her depression over her recent divorce, increasing poverty, and sluggish relationship with her cop boyfriend when she lands the lead in a traveling production of Auntie Mame. But her triumph is short-lived. First, her elderly upstairs neighbor dies. Then her ongoing battle with her slimy landlord escalates and more tenants bite the dust. Finally, when her evil landlord is found dead by the dysfunctional hot-water heater, Vic is arrested for murder. Will her attorney ex-husband help her out? Does her cop still love her? Why is a wealthy Arab named Omar bringing her flowers? Vic is probably the most inept, muddled, amusing, and endearing pseudoinvestigator in print. She's the sort of woman whose temper routinely overwhelms her intuition and who gets all dressed up only to discover that she's covered in cat hair. In short, she's marvelous, and her goofy escapades are pure fun. Donna Seaman

Unemployed actress Victoria Bowering quips her way through her second Manhattan mystery, after Cancellation by Death. After the old man who lived in the apartment above her dies, new tenants begin renovations just as Vic is trying to land the title role in an international touring production of Auntie Mame. In the midst of auditions and callbacks, she must cope with the noise, the building's continual lack of hot water and the trashing of her garden area. The new bartender at her favorite pub suggests that her upstairs neighbor's death may not have been from natural causes. Then the landlord, with whom Vic had been arguing about rental fees and tenants' rights, is murdered and Vic is arrested, souring her triumph at landing the role of Mame. She has to call on both her nearly ex-husband, lawyer Barry Laskin, and her almost lover, Det. Sgt. Dan Duchinski, to spring her from jail. Only with the help of a cherished neighbor, a septuagenarian ex-stripper named Jewel LaFleur, and Jewel's elderly boyfriend can Vic solve the crimes and determine her future. Surrounded by a sharply etched cast, Vic demonstrates that she has a heart of gold to go with her talents and smart mouth.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.