Edward IfkovicBesprekingen

Run Cold is the tenth installment in the Edna Ferber mysteries. This one takes her out of her New York society milieu to the rough-and-tumble life of Fairbanks, Alaska, where she is conducting another research trip for her novel Ice Palace, a novel exploring the forces for and against statehood for Alaska. Ice Palace came out in 1958, a year before Alaska became a state and may have played a role in moving people to support statehood.

The real-life Ferber made five trips to research Ice Palace and our fictional Ferber is on her last trip, renewing her friendship with Sonia Petrievich, a local newspaper columnist who writes about Alaskan history and heroes. Or anti-heroes as she seems infatuated with the violent recollections of Jack Mabie, “The Meanest Man in Alaska.” Edna is repulsed, not attracted, by his boasts of murder and mayhem. When he is reunited with his old partner in crime, murder follows.

Interestingly, the secondary characters in Run Cold mirror the characters in Ice Palace. There is the young woman, Sonia, whose heart is sought by Preston Strange, a man representing the anti-statehood, resource extraction Bayard Husack of Ice Palance. Then there is Noah West, who seems to represent Ross from Ice Palace, an indigenous man who wants to safeguard the environment and people of Alaska. However, unlike Christina in Ice Palance, our Sonia is murdered perhaps because she came too close to the truth. Both Preston and Noah are possible suspects, but then there are many suspects, though it sure seems as though the murderer wants to frame Noah. It’s up to Edna to find out who killed Sonia, and why, or there may be a grave injustice.

I like Edna Ferber. She’s a compassionate woman with good judgment and a discerning character. She has no love of violence and murder. Her writer’s nose for detail makes her an able amateur detective. Run Cold is a fair mystery and while there are plenty of red herrings to suspect, the resolution does not come out of thin air. I was, however, a bit disappointed with how slow Run Cold was to start. Like Edna, I was sick of Mabie’s boasting and do not know why we had to have so many conversations with the evil blowhard.

The mystery did not start until over a quarter of a way through the book. There are a few murders in quick succession, but then the conversations that are our “investigation” are repetitive, running over old ground time and again. The story is competent but thin, and it felt stretched to the breaking point, trying to make a three-course meal out of a good entree.

I received an e-galley of Run Cold from the publisher through NetGalley.

Run Cold at Poisoned Pen Press
Mood Indigo Review
Ed Ifkovic author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/01/18/9781464211157/

It's 1904, and nineteen-year-old Edna Ferber is working as a "girl reporter" for the Appleton Daily Crescent, in the small Wisconsin town of Appleton. She's frustrated by the trivial nature of the stories she gets to report, and indulges her imagination and creativity in making the stories she can report as vivid as possible. While the publisher, aging Civil War veteran Sam Ryan, likes Edna, the new City Room editor, Matthias Boon, does not, and believes that females have no place in the newsroom.

Then Appleton's homegrown international celebrity, Ehrich Weiss, better known as Harry Houdini, comes home for a visit. Through a combination of luck and initiative, Edna scores the interview that Houdini originally didn't intend to give to either local paper. Boon's hostility is ratcheted up even further. Meanwhile, Edna can't escape from the stresses at work by going home, because she's in near-constant constant conflict with her sister Fannie, and her mother Julia is resentful and angry over husband and father Jacob's blindness which has forced Julia to take over running the family store, My Store.

When a beautiful young German-American girl, Frana Lempke, disappears from the high school and is found dead two days later, Edna finds herself drawn into the investigation. She knows the school, she knows Frana and her friends, she knows everyone involved. And of course, she is filled with imagination and curiosity that won't let her let go of it. And the deeper she goes in her investigating, the more the tensions at home and at work increase and threaten to come to a crisis that will force her to make major life decisions--if she doesn't become the next victim.

The characters are all compellingly drawn, not least Edna Ferber herself. Ifkovic set himself a risky task, making his viewpoint character and protagonist a young woman who will herself be the most famous and successful woman novelist of the first half of the 20th century, and he's pulled it off. I believe in Edna, her family, co-workers, and friends, and the little midwestern town they live in. Escape Artist works both as mystery and as historical novel, and is a delight to read.

Highly recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.

This a black/white book, I mean the main colours are white, the snow/the sky, and black, the poors, the Depression. It shows how New York was before the New Deal and how the rich and the poor shared similar spaces but rarely met.
It begins as a comedy of manners more than a mystery, the high class settings with celebrities like Edna Ferber and Noel Coward. The mystery is on the psychological side, looking at hidden motivations and secrets.
It is really enjoyable and gives a lot of food for thought.
Very good and really recommended.
Many thanks to Poison Pen and Netgalley

Mood Indigo is Ed Ifkovic’s ninth installment in the series featuring the famed novelist and playwright Edna Ferber and her coterie of New York society friends, most importantly Noel Coward. In Mood Indigo, Ifkovic wonders what might happen to true love if the world is filled with Iagos. Edna first meets Belinda and Dougie, our Desdemona and Othello, as Noel Coward’s Christmas party. They are obnoxiously loud and with far too many public displays of affection. Glowering onlookers mention that Belinda is a fortune to fortune gold digger and sure enough there is an ugly confrontation with a former beau.

Edna might not care so much, but she comes to see Belinda perform and realizes she has a real talent. She glimpses moments of emotional honesty in Belinda’s face, realizing that she might actually love Dougie and be exhausted by his constant insecurities and jealousy. Dougie is a poor excuse for an Othello though. He’s a child of privilege and pampering who at thirty-five is still dandled on his mother’s knee. He’s never had to grow up and is grasping and demanding as a child. Complicating the plot, Dougie’s mother is a snob, though she denies it, and wants Belinda gone. Then there is Belinda’s brother, her Svengali who wants his own portion of her.

When she is murdered, Dougie is the obvious suspect, but Edna can certainly imagine a range of other suspects. When Dougie is murdered, it’s suddenly more complicated. Was it a simple robbery as the police think, which would allow them to keep Dougie in the frame for Belinda? Or was it revenge by someone who thinks Dougie killed Belinda? Or did Dougie’s killer also kill Belinda? Well, there’s no one better suited to find out than Edna Ferber.

This is the first I have read in this series and was not put off by it being out of order. I will likely read more in the series. There’s a wry wit I enjoy and all the name-dropping and cameos are fun. Of course, if you’re Edna Ferber, you’re not name-dropping, you’re the name that gets dropped, but still the rich and famous of the Jazz Age pass through with quips and little character portraits that are a delight.

The conflict and the murder in this book hang on the idea that men “own” women. The “If I can’t have her, no one can” idea permeates this book. It simmers with jealousy, romantic and professional. It’s not Ifkovic’s fault that systemic misogyny persuades men that only they have romantic agency, that a woman must reciprocate a man’s love. That is on us, not the author nor the characters. Still, it’s sad reading this book about an era nearly a century past and realizing how little we have progressed.

I received an e-galley of Mood Indigo from the publisher through NetGalley.

Mood Indigo at Poisoned Pen Press
Ed Ifkovic author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/01/08/9781464209413/

Meh. Even with Edna Ferber and Maxwell St.

Not really a fan I'm afraid.
Maybe it's based on a real life crime, but it didn't grip me.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.

On the eve of WWI in Budapest, Edna and her companion spend their days exploring the city and chatting with fellow travelers in the Cafe Europa. It is at the cafe where they first meet young Cassandra Blaine and end up in the middle of a mystery. Lots of historical and political content, particularly about Emperor Franz Joseph and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. While I would have appreciated more descriptions of the city, what was there was interesting as were the varied cast of characters and the information about the political climate in Budapest at the time. Edna is a likable character, as is her companion Winifred Moss, a British suffragette. The mystery is well paced and the supporting characters clearly drawn. I look forward to reading more Edna Ferber mysteries.

Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels were especially popular and included the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Big (1924), Show Boat (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), Cimarron (1929; made into the 1931 film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture), and Giant (1952; made into the 1956 Hollywood movie).

She also wrote

Minick: A Play (1924) (play, with G. S. Kaufman)
Stage Door (1926) (play, with G.S. Kaufman)
The Royal Family (1927) (play, with G. S. Kaufman)

FINAL CURTAIN is #5 in the author's Edna Furber series. - check Publisher Poisoned Press.
The others are
#1. LONE STAR: Writer Edna Ferber arrives on the set of Giant to find her self in the middle of a murder investigation. Set in 1952.
#2. ESCAPE ARTIST: 19 year old reporter Edna Ferber interviews Harry Houdini.Set in 1904.
#3. MAKE BELIEVE: in June 1951 Edna Ferber heads to Hollywood to support an old friend who has found himself blacklisted as a result of the McCarthy hearings.
#4. DOWNTOWN STRUT; Manhattan 1927: Edna Ferber prepares for "the Ferber season on Broadway." On December 27, the musical adaptation of Show Boat by Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern opens. On December 28, The Royal Family, her comedy of manners written with George Kaufman, hits the stage despite Ethel Barrymore’s disapproval of the play’s depiction of “theatrical royalty.” But despite the excitement, Edna misses both opening nights. She has something else on her mind—murder.

My Take

I've included the background material above in my review because it indicates the search I did to understand the background to this novel. My curiosity was pricked by the foreword to the review copy provided by Barbara Peters, Editor-in-Chief, Poisoned Pen Press.

Initially the name Edna Ferber meant nothing to me, but then discovered that I knew at least about ShowBoat. However I don't think I have ever read any of her novels or short stories. That may be because I am not an American resident, and so her work has never been part of any course reading I have done either at school or university.

I really am of two minds when a contemporary writer hitches his star to that of a "great". However I have tried to be as objective as I can be about FINAL CURTAIN, even though it attempts to bring both Edna Furber and G.S. Kaufman to life. I have no means of deciding how accurate these depictions are.

On its own, FINAL CURTAIN, is quite an intriguing plot. Edna Furber is delighted with the opportunity to go on stage, but from the very beginning there is a murder and intrigue. There is a focus on the Nazi element in the USA in 1940 which adds period authenticity. Furber and Kaufman are Jews. There is a second murder and Furber's investigation intensifies.

I think the author has taken great care with the style of these novels, to try to capture the style of how Edna Furber wrote - did I mention that the novel is presented in the first person?

On the face of it, Lone Star is going to appeal most to those who are interested in 1950s Hollywood with its classic films and movie stars, its secrets and scandals. I grew up with two movie buffs, and I learned a lot through osmosis. I've also read Ferber's books and watched Giant and many, many other movies of the period. With all this having been said, I still think there's a lot in Lone Star that will appeal to readers who are arriving on the scene completely clueless.

Edna Ferber makes an interesting sleuth, not always sure of herself but quick-thinking, and watching her turn into The Grande Dame when she's not being given her proper due is a treat. Mercedes McCambridge is a wonderful choice to be Ferber's sidekick. She knows everyone and knows all the ins and outs of Hollywood, so she can open many of the doors that Ferber needs to walk through. She's also got the requisite inquiring mind and free spirit.

What is perhaps the most important relationship of all is the one between Ferber and young James Dean. Reading this book is bittersweet to anyone who knows Dean's story, but there is a great deal of enjoyment to be found in watching real friendship develop between these two very unlikely people. The grand lady of letters with her nice clothes, gloves, and her pearls, and the breezy, sloppy, and often charming idol of movie magazines. Superficially they have nothing in common, but scratch below the surface and there are plenty of similarities to be found.

The author knows his Hollywood history and uses it to good effect. The cast is strong and interesting, and the reader's attention remains fixed firmly on the book because the mystery is a puzzler, too. Now that I've met Miss Edna Ferber and have seen what she's capable of, I'm looking forward to reading more of her adventures.

Edna Ferber travels to Hollywood to lend her support to her dear friend Max who’s been blacklisted as a communist. Max has just finished working on the music for the latest movie version of Showboat featuring Ava Gardner. Max has been an integral part of the music for Showboat beginning with the first Broadway version.
Her beloved Max has been murdered.

MAKE BELIEVE mines the rich talent of the Algonquin Round Table. With such wit and creative genius it’s no surprise the Vicious Circle has become so inspirational. Wit wise I wouldn’t have been up to hanging out with any of the Algonquin Round Table members nor am I sure I would have even liked them from what I’ve read; but it sure is fun joining their fictional counterparts while they solve mysteries.

In MAKE BELIEVE Edna Ferber, novelist, short story author and playwright, is our protagonist. However this isn’t an “in her prime” Edna, but what might be considered an elderly Edna. Don’t let the white hair fool you. Edna is still blunt and acerbic, speaking her mind freely and often, irregardless of who she’s talking about or to. This excerpt encapsulates Edna’s attitude beautifully.

“What Show Boat creator visiting on the coast to add her fire power in support of a local Commie is now planning his funeral?” I stared at the abrupt, cruel, line. Furious, I paced my hotel suite. When I passed an inconvenient mirror, I spied a maddened old woman, her permed white curls in disarray. Worse, it was the face of a woman not used to being stunned---and certainly not bested by lesser forms of humanity.
And Hedda Hopper filled that bottom-feeder niche so perfectly. Of course, I hadn’t read the silly gossip item in the morning paper because, frankly, I valued the English language and, as well, the innate decency of man. I came upon the scurrilous item by chance.

Hollywood in the 50’s with the Hollywood Ten and McCarthyism is the backdrop. Edna’s left coast trip to visit her beleaguered friend Max turns tragic as he’s murdered shortly after her arrival.
One of my favorite aspects of MAKE BELIEVE is the character descriptions. For example, these are some of Edna’s thoughts on Desmond Peake, Metro liaison:

A tall string bean of a man, all joint and angle, pale worm white skin, splotchy with patches of sickly red. Large, flinty gray eyes, magnified behind enormous black-framed eyeglasses which replaced the sunglasses as he slid into the seat next to me. A thin Clark Gable mustache incongruously plastered to his weak upper lip gave his Ichabod Crane physiognomy a rarefied comic touch. But there was nothing funny about Desmond Peake. Officious, Metro’s gatekeeper for scandal and misdeed. Or so Max had warned me.

Doesn’t that evoke a vivid image? Edna’s first meeting with Ava Gardner is equally rich in its portrayal but much longer and one of my favorite scenes. I couldn’t help but like Ava while Frank Sinatra is quite the paradox. Characters, both real and fictional sprang to life.
Even with the Communist witch hunts this was a magical time in Hollywood with stars who became legendary and larger than life. Hollywood, as depicted in MAKE BELIEVE, is tawdry and tarnished, only appearing glamorous from a distance. MAKE BELIEVE focuses on the superficiality, cruelty, desperation and desolation hidden by the thin veneer of glamour and wealth.
I read slowly, not wanting to miss a single nuance. The mix of fictional and factual characters and events was so well done it was easy to believe this had, in fact, happened. Well done. I actually figured out “who dunnit” but added an extra person to the mix.

Even though this is the third in Ed Ifkovic’s Edna Ferber mystery series and I hadn’t read the first two I never felt lost or that something was missing. MAKE BELIEVE is a must read for mystery lovers who enjoy an historical mystery that seamlessly blends reality and fiction. I’ll be adding the two previous titles to my TBR mountain.

4 stars
Reviewed by IvyD for Manic Readers

Narrated by Edna Ferber, about her time in California when Giant was being filmed. James Dean the central character, also Rock Hudson, Mercedes McCambridge, Liz Taylor. Well-written novel.½

A beautiful Appleton high school student, kept under close family supervision, disappears from the school one afternoon, seemingly vanishing between her classroom and the school's exit. If she was running away, she didn't get very far. Her murdered body was discovered in a secluded spot nearby. Young newspaper columnist Edna Ferber, a recent graduate of the high school, uses her familiarity with the school and its students to solve the case. She receives encouragement and insight from world-famous magician Harry Houdini, who just happens to be visiting his hometown at the time of the murder.

I found the characters to be much more interesting than the murder plot. Edna Ferber comes across as determined and strong-willed, and her prickly relationship with her mother and sister adds an interesting domestic dynamic to the story. I especially liked Edna's relationship with her ailing father. Harry Houdini's role in the story seemed awkward, like a TV cameo by a famous personality where the star seems to be repeating memorized lines rather than behaving naturally.

I believe there are other mysteries in this series set after Ferber had become a successful writer. I'd like to try one of the other books to see if I like the mature Ferber better than the teenager of this story.

This review is based on an electronic galley provided by the publisher through NetGalley.½