Shamus in the Green Room: A Cece Caruso Mystery

by Susan Kandel

Book Overview

Los Angeles writer Cece Caruso is thrilled that her biography of the legendary Dashiell Hammett is headed for the big screen. Even better, she's been hired to tutor Rafe Simic, the actor cast as the lead. Okay, so he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer. At least he's easy on the eyes, and the money's good enough to feed Cece's addiction to vintage Yves St. Laurent. But in the midst of her teaching him the ABCs of The Maltese Falcon and The Thin...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060581093
• ISBN13: 9780060581091
• Release Date: May 2006
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Third in a Series, Not a "Stand Alone"

I guess I should have read one of the other books first, because I found myself constantly confused in the book about Cece Caruso's life. Right in the first two pages she introduces eight characters who I guess regular readers would know all about, but I found it very bewildering. For the first hundred pages of the mystery, I suspected Vincent, then I realized he was Cece's son in law and therefore presumably part of the regular cast of characters. Okay, so Cece is supposed to be 39, and she's already a grandma? I really dislike people who refer to their girlfriends, boyfriends or whatever by their last name. Maybe Lauren Bacall could get away with calling her husband "Bogie," but in others it's an unbearable affectation, and in fictional characters it's even worse. And yet every other mystery author has her heroine do this. ("Gambino came over sometime after midnight. He held me close, massaged my sore back, changed my bandage, gave me Advil, and didn't say much, all of which I appreciated.") I guess he's her fiance. I read this book when it was still in its ARC wrappers, and the title was SAM SPADE IN THE GREEN ROOM. Wonder why it was scrapped for the less distinctive SHAMUS? Possibly some unresolved legal issues over the use of Sam Spade's name. Pity that, because in the book as it stands, Cece's knowledge of Dashiell Hammett's life seems woefully underused, just a peg on which to capture the attention of an important Hollywood star, the Brad Pitt clone Rafe Simic, here torn between the past, a beachtown Jennifer Aniston, and the far-off promise of an alluring Angelina Jolie type. Where does Cece fit into the mix? The whole story will be woefully obvious to anyone who has ever seen I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, or read the Lois Duncan YA classic it was based on. There are some good chills, particularly when Grandma Cece begins to suspect that the body she and Rafe identified in the morgue as a former girlfriend's may not actually have been hers--and too late, the body's been cremated already! Can Cece credit her own senses? What about her instincts as a biographer? Susan Kandel, a top art writer and novelist, credits Didi Dunphy among her acknowledgements. Dunphy, one of the best painters in the USA, is also a super friend and a charming raconteur. One of these days I hope she will be writing a detective series, perhaps set in the art world. In the meantime I look forward to CHRISTIETOWN, the next Cece Caruso mystery, which we are promised next year. I hope the Christie estate doesn't come back on Kandel, forcing her to change the name of her book to ENGLISHLADYTOWN. In the meantime I'll make a little family tree to distinguish all of Cece's boyfriends, grandchildren, neighbors and girlfriends, all of which she's got one too many of if you ask me, which I know you haven't.

Kudos to Kandel!!!

Ms. Kandel has really come into her own with "Shamus in the Green Room". I enjoyed this book from page one until the end - I have been going crazy reading every new mystery I can get my hands on for research on writing my first mystery novel and this one is at the top of my list. This was the best of the three - with so many layers and a lot of humor, but not too cutsy like some of the other authors. Ms. Kandel- Hurry, we need with the next one!!

Dashiel Hammett leads Cece to Danger

When Cece Caruso first starting writing biographies of mystery authors, her first subject was Dashiel Hammett. Now, ten years later, that book is going to be turned into the movie DASH! Even better, Hollywood hunk Rafe Simic is set to star in the duel role of Hammett and his most famous creation, Sam Spade. There's just one tiny problem - Rafe hates to read and has no knowledge about Dashiel Hammett. Cece is hired to give him a two-week crash course on the man and his work. Their first stop, San Francisco, is cut short when Rafe receives a phone call. There is a body in the Los Angeles morgue that he needs to identify. Asking Cece to go with him for moral support, Rafe finally identifies the woman as his former girlfriend Maren. Based on an old picture, Cece begins to question whether the woman she saw lying on the coroner's table is really Maren. Is Cece right? If so, who could it be? And why did Rafe lie? As always, author Susan Kandel has created an intriguing story. The premise gripped me early on, and I couldn't wait to see how things unraveled. While previous volumes have had problems with pacing, this one didn't. The mystery is introduced early and little slows it down until we finally get some answers. Along the way, we are teased with clues that shed some light on the puzzle but not enough to give anything away. The information on Dashiel Hammett given in the book is interesting but doesn't get in the way of the story. Cece lets very little get in the way once she is on the trail of the mystery. Her determination is endearing but also keeps putting her in danger. Some have complained that she takes dumb chances, but I don't think she is any riskier then most amateur sleuths. With the focus more on the mystery, some of the supporting players don't get as much page time. Lael and Bridget, Cece's best friends, do show up several times, but little is added to their character. Getting more time is fiancee Peter Gambino and daughter Annie, who both have interesting sub-plots that weave their way through the story. This book is populated with interesting new characters. We get to know the most about Rafe, which gives us an amusing look at life in the Hollywood spotlight. The case leads Cece to a coastal town where she meets some fun surfer types. All this is enhanced by a breezy writing style that drew me into the story and made for fast, easy reading. I got lost in the story more then once and had a hard time putting it down when I needed to get back to other things. This series has gotten better with each book. This is easily the strongest in the series. Here's hoping the next can top it.

Always entertaining

I really look forward to the Cece Caruso books. This one was very good - kept moving, no real slow spots, well thought out plot. I really enjoy Cece herself, even though she does some dumb things. She is smart, and I enjoy the information about whatever author is the focus of the story. I would like to see a little more depth developing, and longer books, although I'm not particularly hopeful, given that really short books (e.g Janet Evanovich) seem to sell better than slightly denser ones.

fine amateur sleuth investigation

Mystery author biographer and noted fashion plate Cece Caruso is providing consulting services to the In the Green Room movie production company filming her work Dash! The star, Hollywood hunk Rafe Simic looks great as and would make a dashing Dashiell Hammett or for that matter Sam Spade, but the sexy actor refuses to read her book or any of the great late author's works as he prefers surfing the waves. To help Rafe taste the part, Cece agrees to escort him on a tour of Hammett's San Francisco. Not long after they arrive in San Francisco, the Los Angeles Coroner's Office asks Rafe to come home to identify a corpse of a woman who has his card on her. He says the deceased is his former girlfriend Maren Levander and sister of his best friend and manager. With Rafe a person of interest, Cece investigates what the police suspect is a homicide made to look like a suicide over the objection of fiancé, police detective Peter Gambino. Cece remains a refreshing protagonist who cherishes deceased mystery writers and cannot help but get involved in clearing up ambiguities in their lives (see I DREAMED I MARRIED PERRY MASON and NOT A GIRL DETECTIVE), and landing in a modern whodunit. On top of a fine amateur sleuth investigation, Cece has personal disputes with her adult daughter and Peter. When the author tosses in Hammett to a superb tale it leads to readers admiring Susan Kandel's amazing talent. Harriet Klausner