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.

If you like a mystery that makes you both laugh and think, you have to read at least one of G. Baxt's celebrity sleuth novels. This is one of my favorites because he really captures D. Parker's legendary personality to create an intriguing mystery around Rudolph Valentino's death. Nothing seems forced in this novel; G. Baxt adroitly weaves together fact and fiction to create three-dimensional characters based on some of the most interesting celebrities of the past, including some of the most notable members of the Algonquin Round Table of The New Yorker magazine fame. And some of the dialog he has given D. Parker seems so genuine to her public persona that it's almost as though he knew her.

I didn't like this book as well as I've liked others, but that's mainly because I'm not really familiar with that era of the motion picture industry. The ending was a marvelous surprise- you'll definitely sympathize with the killer- and I came away from this book with a big smile on my face. George Baxt is AWESOME.

I've enjoyed the entire Baxt celebrity mystery series, but this one is possibly the most entertaining of the bunch. Baxt knew Tallulah, and he brings her outrageous style to roraring life here. He also captures the essence of other stars, from Estelle Winwood to Ethel Merman, while mapping out a dah-ling little plot. A first-rate bit of fun for show-biz buffs and mystery lovers alike.

Pharoah Love is a detective for the NYPD. However, he is also black and gay. The parts of this book that I liked the most were about him and the kind of person that he is. His character is very well-developed, and can probably be related to several people you know. His sarcasm and wit are refreshing and well-sculpted.
The whole plot, to me, was almost secondary. He investigates the murder of twin performers. The almost predictable ending did not take away, though, from my enjoyment of reading this book. Check it out today.

Witty, creative, and clever! Three apt descriptives of George Baxt's "A Queer Kind of Love." In this book, Baxt presents detective Pharoah Love of the NYPD, black and gay. We are off for a roller coaster ride in this one as Love mixes it up with the Mafia, , luxurious brothels, and a very straight partner. This Manhattan mystery is full of excitement, surprises, and plenty of laughs, although, of course, the scenario is certainly no laughing matter! Love's partner, Albert West, is

perfect counterpoint (although predictable) and the "sounding board" he provides is Dr. Watson to Sherlock (well, in a way!) or Lewis to his Morse. The case goes back to Love's past--his old friend Marco Salino finds that his lieutenants are being killed off, one by one, This pursuit of truth and justice takes many turns through some very crazy, yes, zany, avenues before it's "wrapped up." This is a fun read--different, but fun. Baxt is to be credited with the dexterity he shows as he

gambols from situation to situation as his "not so straight-laced" protagonist gives us a treat! (Billyjhobbs@tyler.net)

In "A Queer Kind of Love" George Baxt returns to what was one-time his most outrageous character--Detective Pharoah Love of the NYPD. However, there has been a change--and one for the better. No longer does Love cavort around the crazy Hollywood types which seemed to be overdone and almost over-powered the main character in the series' earlier volumes--Madeline Cartier, her family, and Sweet Harriet are all gone. The crime under investigation is in the present--there is no hint of a decades old mystery to be solved. In this book, he is on the mean streets of Manhattan facing both his past and his inner demons, his fellow detectives, and the social implications of being gay in the age of AIDS--and the crime he is solving is not bizarre, but horrible. This is a tougher Love than the earlier books allowed the reader to read and understand. We also learn about his past and how he got his name and why it is misspelled. In short, he becomes more solid than in the first three volumes. The other characters seem to be more realistic and their pain can be felt by the reader. This does not stop Baxt from having some fun with certain of the Russian characters and their accents--and, of course, Love's own cocky (no pun intended) attitude to his own partner. The book also has a violent edge to it that was missing in the earlier novels. This allows Baxt to show the harsh side of Pharoah which was only hinted at in the earlier novels. The opening shoot out is both well-written and appalling while the last few pages are more bloody than anything else I have read from Baxt. After reading "Topsy & Evil," I suspected that I would not give Baxt and Love another chance. However, in this adventure, Baxt has allowed me to see that he can overcome the problems of the older books and recreate a daring and different detective.

I picked up this book because I have always loved Astaire and Rodgers. However, when I started reading, I was dissapointed. The plot seems a little farfetched. I think there were too many characters, and I kept wondering why everybody knew each other. Russia is a large country, but reading this book makes it seem like a small town. However, this book did manage to keep me interested in what happened at the end. I would read it for distraction because it is by no means great literature.

Like many of Baxt's novels, this one goes a little off-track with all the characters and spies, et cetera. However, that, in this humble reader's opinion, is part of the charm. These mysteries were obviously not written for deep, critical analysis, but for simple enjoyment. All the characters, and there are many, are fleshed out, and if the plot lacks bits that are shoved in a bit too hurriedly at the end, well that's just part of the charm. Another three cheers for George Baxt. And for Fred and Ginger.

Though the book was first published back in 1966, it was a surprisingly good and funny read. The protagonist, Pharoah Love, is a black, gay police detective in NYC investigating a rather unusual murder case... This is actually prolific writer George Baxt's first novel. "A Queer Kind of Death" is chock-full of bizarre characters, murky subplots, and the usual stereotypes and prejudices you would expect to find in New York during the late 60's. It definitely gave me more than a few chuckles, and since it's the first book of the series, I'm looking forward to reading more...Though it seems most of the other titles are out-of-print, that may not be the easiest task. Worth a look if you enjoy mysteries with a 'queer' twist!

Though not one of Baxt's strongest (I would heartily recommend The Dorothy Parker Murder Case), there is enough clever dialogue and delightful dish to carry you through the rather weak plot. Baxt once again takes great joy in raking through the bones of celebrities, exposing the sexual proclivities and excesses of Hollywood stars. I found reading it enjoyable, though not completely satisfying as a murder mystery

Wonderful book, puts you right in the niddle of the era and makes you part of the goings on, I am old enough to remember a lot of these stars and the columnists. The bits of whimsical insight into what was going on behind the scenes is really fun to learn. I worked at Paramount Pictures for two years and this brought it back. Besides I could just hear Enda Mae Oliver saying "Mr. Dick what shall we do with this boy" or "you evil woman" to Madame Defarge in Tale of Two Two Cities. Wonderful book.

Is this book at the libaray yes or no and can the libarary get it

I have never understood why some authors choose to write about historical figures and time periods without doing extensive research beforehand. Although this is supposed to be a historical mystery novel it reads more like a confusing, ridiculous piece of fantasy. Why must author George Baxt include Peter Lorre and Erich von Stroheim as characters in his novel if he's not in the least interested in finding out what these men were really like? Baxt's description of Mr. Lorre and Mr. Von Stroheim is degrading and offensive. It's too bad the author doesn't have more respect for these charming and extremely talented men, who incidentally were both Austrian Jews, not Germans. As for the whole Nazi spy plot -- well, I've read plenty of better-written, more realistic, WWII-era mystery novels. Pass on this one.

This is another George Baxt mystery that, perhaps, is a bit too full of spies. It was the very first I read, and I may have a soft spot for it, but I would recommend it to almost anyone. This is a very good book for someone who is willing to pay close attention to all the characters and plot details, not for a person that just sees the confusing mess (and it gets a bit messy at times, I'll confess). Still, it is quite a ride, and it makes one wish they'd actually met these people. Still more hurrays for Baxt- and, of course, Greta Garbo.

George Baxt has carved out an interesting niche in the mystery world, from the gay-themed Pharaoh Love series to the Celebrity series, which takes names like Dorothy Parker, Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis and, of course, Alfred Hitchcock, and weaves them into mystery plots as amateur detectives.

Because I like fictional versions of real people in my books, I was bound to come across Baxt at some point. For the most part, I can say I'm glad I did. His mysteries are usually entertaining and very funny, which works with an original character, like Pharaoh Love, or even with a character like Dorothy Parker, who you expect to be funny.

But here we have Alfred Hitchcock, who had a wicked on-set sense of humor. But Baxt's portrayal here seems false somehow - Hitch and his wife Alma become embroiled in a plot that seems to come directly from one of Hitchcock's movies. It's complex and wry and gives one the impression that everyone knows what's going on but the hero (a staple of several of Hitch's spy movies). Many people die throughout the story and Alma & Hitch giggle through it all as though they were Nick and Nora Charles. But that isn't the problem.

I'm okay with humorous mysteries. I'm okay with detectives who laugh in the face of death. But I'm afraid I wasn't prepared for Alfred Hitchcock laughing in the face of death. I suspect this is a failing of my own, but I didn't get the feeling that the characters were well-researched or portrayed effectively.

One thing I did like was the "Dain Curse"-like plotting that stretched the story over several years.