The G-String Murders

By Gypsy Rose Lee

Book Overview

A mystery set in the underworld of burlesque theater, The G-String Murders was penned in 1941 by the legendary queen of the stripteasers--the witty and wisecracking Gypsy Rose Lee. Narrating a twisted tale of a backstage double murder, Lee provides a fascinating look behind the scenes of burlesque, richly populated by the likes of strippers Lolita LaVerne and Gee Gee Graham, comic Biff Brannigan and Siggy the g-string salesman. This is a world where women struggle to earn a living performing bumps and grinds, have gangster boyfriends, sip beer between acts and pay their own way at dinner. Femmes Fatales restores to print the best of women's writing in the classic pulp genres of the mid-20th century. From mystery to hard-boiled noir to taboo lesbian romance, these rediscovered queens of pulp offer subversive perspectives on a turbulent era. Enjoy the series: Bedelia ; Bunny Lake Is Missing ; By Cecile ; The G-String Murders ; The Girls in 3-B ; Laura ; The Man Who Loved His Wife ; Mother Finds a Body ; Now, Voyager ; Return to Lesbos ; Skyscraper ; Stranger on Lesbos ; Stella Dallas ; Women's Barracks .

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558615032
• ISBN13: 9781558615038
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Feminist Press
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.4" x 7.4"

Customer Reviews

Gypsy & Murder!

Great book written with humor and flair by the one and only Gypsy Rose Lee! Very entertaining... check out the movie based on this book... "Lady of Burlesque" starring Barbara Stanwyck.

awesome book

i loved it, i've had others borrow it and they loved it too. you really feel like a fly on the wall of the world created by gypsy rose lee.

GREAT BOOK

YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK, IF YOU LIKED THE MOVIE QUEEN OF BURLESQUE WITH BARBARA STANWICK. THE BOOK WAS AS GOOD AS THE MOVIE. I HAVE LOANED IT OUT TO A 23 YR OLD AND A 89 YR OLD, SO IT STANDS THE TEST OF TIME. IT BRING YOU REALLY BACKSTAGE AND HOW IT REALLY WAS.

Witty and fun

First: I can't speak to the typographical errors, because I own a different edition, but typos are incredibly annoying, so you might want to poke around for something like the 1984 Penguin paperback, which I have. Now: This is great fun! It's not the great American novel, but it's certainly well-enough written. She sympathetically illustrates the interesting (and now bygone) world of burlesque theater with observant touches, a fully developed wry voice and a few bawdy winks. Absolutely soaked in atmosphere. I read a lot of mysteries and I'll admit the murder mystery plot is no great shakes, but I really have to give credit to her writing. I was reminded of Kinky Friedman's detective fiction, which like this is based on a semiautobiographical protagonist and displays a love for the scenes of the city -- and like this has the occasional truly felicitous description. As for the depictions of women, yes, many of the performers (male and female) snipe at each other and fight, but there is also an undercurrent of intelligence and camaraderie that comes through clearly. Gypsy and friend Gee Gee have a closeness whose texture feels both casual and real; the women are (mostly) street-smart and funny and *modern* in that way that can almost seem anachronistic to today's reader. But that's the beauty of it: This was really written at the time by somebody who knew that scene inside and out, so you know it's grounded in reality. Again: It's not great literature, it's even a bit cartoony, but it's a real kick.

A Delicious Mystery.

This is a highly entertaining vintage mystery. The re-release features an afterward by Rachel Shteir, who wrote the wonderful "Striptease--The Untold History of the Girlie Show". The plot is semi-autobiographical, which lends it an authenticity that most pulp fiction lacks. I was a bit prepared for some of the details, having read the autobio "Gypsy" previously. The cover art is a reproduction of some original art, which makes it a nice book all around. A great book to read poolside in Las Vegas wearing your best movie star sunglasses.