First published in 1988, this book has been out-of-print for several years. It is a mystery and a bridge textbook all in one, and accomplishes both exceptionally well. Based on the author's own experiences, and set in and around a Manhattan bridge club, the story includes many real-life bridge characters whose names will be familiar to readers.
Beautiful and conceited Alicia Matcham leads us through an intriguing web of deceit in search of a killer who is, bizarrely, welcomed by her family. This exciting, gripping crime novel is full of suspense and delivers a thrilling final twist.Saturday 10 June 1933, and one of Charles's Whitten's bridge players collapses at the table, apparently from natural causes. Charles's youngest daughter Patty is convinced it's murder and pleads with her sister Alicia - a party girl with connections - to help discover the truth. Their brother William is a penniless drunkard, their mother ingenuous, Patty naive, their father Charles all bluff and bluster and then there is John the seductive butler. It feels as though Alicia is in one of the new Agatha Christie murders: there were four people in the card room, surely one must be the murderer?
Kansas City, 1929: Myrtle and Jack Bennett sit down with another couple for an evening of bridge. As the game intensifies, Myrtle complains that Jack is a “bum bridge player.” For such insubordination, he slaps her hard in front of their stunned guests and announces he is leaving. Moments later, sobbing, with a Colt .32 pistol in hand, Myrtle fires four shots, killing her husband. The Roaring 1920s inspired nationwide fads–flagpole sitting, marathon dancing, swimming-pool endurance floating. But of all the mad games that cheered Americans between the wars, the least likely was contract bridge. As the Barnum of the bridge craze, Ely Culbertson, a tuxedoed boulevardier with a Russian accent, used mystique, brilliance, and a certain madness to transform bridge from a social pastime into a cultural movement that made him rich and famous. In writings, in lectures, and on the radio, he used the Bennett killing to dramatize bridge as the battle of the sexes. Indeed, Myrtle Bennett’s murder trial became a sensation because it brought a beautiful housewife–and hints of her husband’s infidelity–from the bridge table into the national spotlight. James A. Reed, Myrtle’s high-powered lawyer and onetime Democratic presidential candidate, delivered soaring, tear-filled courtroom orations. As Reed waxed on about the sanctity of womanhood, he was secretly conducting an extramarital romance with a feminist trailblazer who lived next door. To the public, bridge symbolized tossing aside the ideals of the Puritans–who referred derisively to playing cards as “the Devil’s tickets”–and embracing the modern age. Ina time when such fearless women as Amelia Earhart, Dorothy Parker, and Marlene Dietrich were exalted for their boldness, Culbertson positioned his game as a challenge to all housebound women. At the bridge table, he insisted, a woman could be her husband’s equal, and more. In the gathering darkness of the Depression, Culbertson leveraged his own ballyhoo and naughty innuendo for all it was worth, maneuvering himself and his brilliant wife, Jo, his favorite bridge partner, into a media spectacle dubbed the Bridge Battle of the Century. Through these larger-than-life characters and the timeless partnership game they played, The Devil’s Tickets captures a uniquely colorful age and a tension in marriage that is eternal.
"Young Matthew's first visit to the Mayfair bridge club in New York is made to try to rescue his schoolfriend Stanley. Once there, though, he becomes fascinated by the idea of money bridge, and how different the game is from the one he knows. His education in both bridge and life skills proceeds at the hands of the beautiful and dangerous Chops, the odious 'Pizza' McCarver, Otto the mad Hungarian, and the other singular denizens of the Mayfair. Before long, there is a mysterious accident at the club, and as the tensions among the players stretch to breaking point, a second tragedy seems almost inevitable. But this time, Matthew himself is the prime suspect. Can Matthew solve the mystery and clear his name? And just as important, can he gain some credibility at the bridge table and survive amongst the card sharks at the Mayfair Club?"--Back cover
After four bridge players are poisoned, newspaper reporter Wendy Winchester sets out to catch a killer who's not playing with a full deck . . . When the four wealthy widows who make up the venerable Rosalie Bridge Club never get up from their card table, this quiet Mississippi town has its first quadruple homicide. Who put cyanide in their sugar bowl? An aspiring member and kibitzer with the exclusive club, Wendy takes a personal interest in finding justice for the ladies. She also has a professional motivation. A frustrated society columnist for the Rosalie Citizen, she's ready to deal herself a better hand as an investigative reporter. This could be her big break. Plus, she has a card or two up her sleeve: her sometimes boyfriend is a detective and her dad is the local chief of police. Partnering up with the men in her life, Wendy starts shuffling through suspects and turning over secrets long held close to the chest by the ladies. But when a wild card tries to take her out of the game, Wendy decides it's time to up the ante before she's the next one to go down . . .
This books contains articles adapted into book form that have been designed for all levels of player: by starting with the basics on the topic and gradually filling in details up to expert level, I hope to frame the issues in a way all can understand and also raise issues for a partnership to discuss. The techniques in this book are sustainable and can be incorporated into any bidding system. Learn from the best and see instant improvement in your results at the bridge table.
At the dawn of the Restoration Period, Suzanne Thornton hopes to find a second life in the theater. But instead, on opening night, she finds a dead body on stage… The triumphant return of King Charles II in 1660 is occasion for much celebration in London. The Merry Monarch’s unquenchable thirst for entertainment creates opportunities for everyone from tavern keepers to brothel owners to actors. One of these is Suzanne Thornton. No longer a kept woman since her man has fled, she sees an opportunity to reopen a theater and stage the classics—Shakespeare, Marlowe, and the like. And now, thanks to Royal decree, Juliet can be played by a woman. Suzanne secures financing from an old lover, assembles a troupe, and restores the venue—none other than the historic Globe Theater. Tragically, during the opening night performance, a dead body lands on the stage. After the curtain comes down, Suzanne finds herself a suspect. But she also finds that murder is good for business—the next night’s performance is sold out. Wishing to live to enjoy her success, Suzanne undertakes her own investigation to find a killer who may try to close her down for good…
A summer wedding, a stolen heirloom, an eccentric aunt. What could possibly go wrong? When a suspicious death follows a country wedding, Libby Forest’s instincts tell her there's something deeply amiss in the picturesque villages of Exmoor. Alongside her on-off partner Max Ramshore, Libby delves deeper into the mysterious goings-on at Upper Compton as a sinister new acquaintance casts a foreboding shadow over Libby’s investigations. As people begin to disappear, it’s a race against time to uncover the Exmoor secrets before it’s too late. For lovers of cosy murder mysteries, Agatha Christie novels, Midsomer Murders, Murder She Wrote, lovable pets, cake and chocolate, the Exham-on-Sea Mysteries are set in a close-knit community at the Somerset seaside, full of colourful local characters. The green fields, rolling hills and sandy beaches of the English West Country provide the perfect setting for crime, intrigue and mystery. THE EXHAM-ON-SEA MURDER MYSTERIES: 1. Murder at the Lighthouse 2. Murder on the Levels 3. Murder on the Tor 4. Murder at the Cathedral 5. Murder at the Bridge 6. Murder at the Castle 7. Murder at the Gorge 8. Murder at the Abbey Other Books in the Ham Hill Murder Mystery series by Frances Evesham A Village Murder A Racing Murder A Harvest Murder What readers say about the series: 'It makes you wonder if English country villages are safe places to live. But I certainly would given half a chance.' 'Exham on Sea is populated with wonderful characters.' 'With every book, I grow more fond of Libby and Exham; this time it already felt like coming home.' 'If you like Miss Marple this amateur sleuth will enthral you.' 'A series to watch out for.'
*Now a Hulu limited series starring Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and Archie Panjabi!* “A swift, harrowing classic perfect for these unnerving times.” —Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation One moonlit night, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home. In this “tour de force of crime reportage” (Kirkus Reviews), acclaimed author Rebecca Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls—and boy—accused of a savage murder. As she follows the investigation and trials, Godfrey reveals the startling truth about the unlikely killers. Laced with lyricism and insight, Under the Bridge is an unforgettable look at a haunting modern tragedy.
