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THE GOLD GAMBLE by Herbert Resnicow

THE GOLD GAMBLE

By

Pub Date: Oct. 19th, 1988
Publisher: St. Martin's

Having tackled opera (The Gold Curse) and ballet (The Gold Deadline), New York's brainy Norma and Alexander Gold, now running what must be the world's most lucrative detective agency, are involved with the Broadway stage--specifically, a new production of Guys and Dolls. Norma and Alexander are big money-backers, with friends Pearl and Burton Hanslik and producer Maxwell Sapphire, in what Sapphire hopes will be the crowning glory of an up-and-down career. Others also have plenty riding on the show, careerwise--Carol Sands in the role of Adelaide; leading man Jeffrey Forella; and no-talent, fame-hungry Lisa Terrane, Sapphire's mistress and a thorn in the side of director Michael Rybar and all hands. As the show is nearing its opening night, however, Lisa is found dead in her dressing room--in a fancy version of a locked-door puzzle, with Carol Sands the only possible murderer. Alexander works a deal with long-time adversary-friend Lieutenant Warshafsky for three days' grace to find another culprit before charging Carol and ruining the show. And Norma interviews everyone at tedious length. The time-frame of the murder, the show's story and every number in it, access to the dressing room from inside and outside the theater, and a series of feeble motives are all hashed and numbingly rehashed. The long-drawn-out solution, stage-managed by Alexander with Norma's help, brings unexpected danger and a not-unexpected killer. If Guys and Dolls is your favorite show of all time and the Golds your idea of a fun couple, this one's a bonanza. For others, a pretty dull production.