Murder by Deathby H.R.F. Keating, Neil Simon
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 0352397276
Publication Date: January 1, 1976
Pages: 176
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Star Books
Novelization of the screen play by Neil Simon. Various "famous sleuths" (or their somewhat thinly disguised copies) are invited by a mysterious millionaire to stay at his house and solve a who-dun-it, with the winner getting millions.
I re-read this almost perfectly brilliant book, based on the absolutely brilliant movie, for Halloween bingo’s Dark and Stormy Night square.
If you haven’t seen the movie, written by Neil Simon and released in the 1970’s, and you’re a fan of classic mysteries and oddball humor, you’re missing out on a classic. It’s brilliantly written and brilliantly casted. It’s an homage and a spoof, so if spoof’s aren’t your thing, skip it, you’ll be disappointed. It’s the original Clue! only the characters are based on Nick and Nora, Miss Marple, Sam Spade, Hercule Poirot, and Charlie Chan.
The book was written to be a faithful reproduction of the movie, though H.R.F. Keating uses the opportunity of the written word to name drop additional authors like Conan Doyle and Sayers. And it is an exact, faithful reproduction of the movie – until the last 5 short paragraphs where Keating, apparently, couldn’t help himself and changed the ending. It’s a small thing, but it sets my teeth on edge because it’s a sop.
Still, I cherish this book as I do the movie. I just need to stop at the fifth to last paragraph.
I’ve got the movie on my watch list on Prime, but so far it has never gone into the freebie area. I’m just going to wait until it does 😀
Hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 🙂
I just hope it goes on Prime free sometime in my lifetime 😀
It such a brilliant film. 😀 Do I want to know how Keating changed the ending?
He didn’t change the ending so much as added an addedum. A very Dickensian addendum a la Christmas Carol. I have no idea how it would have played with someone who hasn’t seen the movie, but having seen the movie, it’s … I don’t even know what to call it. Other than a mistake.