Alan Handley

Kiss Your Elbow by Alan Handley was originally published in 1948 and is set in the acting world of New York City. When aspiring actor Tim Briscoe stumbles upon the body of his agent, Nellie, he is sure that she has been murdered. In a panic he grabs her appointment book and bolts. He flees to the arms of Maggie, a rich divorcee who dabbles in acting. Convinced that he will be the police’s number one suspect, Tim is surprised when Nellie’s death is dismissed as an accident.

Still convinced that Nellie was murdered, Tim, with some help from Maggie, continues to ask questions and look into Nellie’s past. He has obviously stirred something up as before too long he is the victim of a couple of murder attempts.

As the author was himself both a stage actor and a director his take on the theatrical world is of particular interest. There’s plenty of back stabbing and stage politics to keep things moving along. I enjoyed all the wise cracking comments and the romance between Tim and Maggie was well done. A slightly over-the-top ending was the icing on the cake and I thoroughly enjoyed this light and lively crime story.… (meer)

The story of not-very-successful actor Tim Briscoe, who is called to his agent's office only to find her dead when he gets there, impaled through the chest with her memo spike. Rather than calling the police, Tim panics and grabs her appointment book because it has not only his name down for seeing her that day, but his good friend and fellow unsuccessful actor, Maggie. Having been at the scene, Tim doesn't believe the death is a drunken accident as the police say, but murder, and he sets out to prove it, even though he and Maggie have just gotten their first theater work in months and have to investigate in between rehearsals.
Fast moving with some snappy dialogue and humor, as both Tim and Maggie are acting according to the gangster movies they've seen. I don't want to give away too much, but the story turns out to be a bit more modern than expected for a book published in 1948.… (meer)