A Friendly Game of Murder: An Algonquin Round Table Mystery
Wisecracking Dorothy Parker is at it again, solving a mystery with her famous round table friends during the Roaring Twenties. This time, everyone is at the Algonquin hotel for a big New Year’s Eve party. The group decides to play a game of “Murder,” but, just when Dorothy thinks she’s going to one-up a few snobbish acquaintances, starlet Bibi Bibilot decides to take center stage. She plunges into a bathtub full of champagne, and winds up dead.
Generally, I am not a fan of authors who use real people in their fictional stories, but J. J. Murphy does an excellent job channeling the famous characteristics of each, overall making an enjoyable, amusing story. The amateur detecting by Dorothy et al was, as always, a delight to read. However, while the dialogue was fast-paced and witty, the mystery itself lacked depth and intrigue. After about 150 pages, I found myself not really caring who killed Bibi. I just kept reading to find out what amusing quip Dorothy would come up with next, and whether or not she would outwit her fellow mystery solvers by finding the murderer first.
