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Actor Hardcover – January 1, 1993

by Parnell Hall (Author)
3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 51 ratings
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Early one summer morning, Stanley Hastings receives an unexpected phone call from Herbert Drake, an old college acquaintance and now the producer of a summer stock theater in rural Connecticut. Herbie's problem: An actor has dropped dead of a heart attack - a last-minute replacement is needed for the leading role in George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man.
And even though he hasn't trod the boards in nearly twenty years, even though there are only two days of rehearsal before opening night, even though he knows nothing of Herbie's current associate, Stanley is bitten hard by the dreaded Acting Bug.
Frantically trying to re-learn lines he hasn't spoken since his college production of the play, Stanley is charmed by Nellie Knight, the lovely young ingenue; infuriated by Avery Allington, the hammy soap-opera actor imported to give the show star appeal; and baffled by the diversity of the carnal and emotional intrigues that threaten to turn Arms and the Man into Peyton Place. And when the dress rehearsal is interrupted by murder, newcomer Stanley becomes the suspect of choice.
The town police chief - an amateur actor himself - is delighted to let Stanley take over the detective work in an effort to clear himself of suspicion. But the amazing array of red herrings, and nearly everyone's cheerful assumption that Stanley is the killer, make his job as difficult as possible. Though not enough to prevent Stanley from leading his investigation to a knockout denouement in a scene that would make Mr. Shaw's beard curl - or elicit a standing ovation...
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Previous page
  1. Book 8 of 18
    Stanley Hastings Mystery
  2. Print length
    273 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Mysterious Pr
  5. Publication date
    January 1, 1993
  6. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0892965207
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0892965205
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stanley Hastings is a frenzied PI whose six comic misadventures while investigating accident cases for a Manhattan law firm have been chronicled in Shot , Detective et al. Having interviewed people with broken legs and photographed holes in the sidewalks for 20 years, Stanley has nearly forgotten that he was an aspiring actor before he took up detecting. He's overjoyed when an old theater chum asks him to step into a production of Shaw's Arms and the Man in the wilds of Connecticut just two short days before opening. There he runs afoul of a persnickety stage manager and the arrogant no-talent, soap opera-trained star and gets to share a dressing room with a young actress of few inhibitions. When the stage manager is stabbed to death, Stanley must call on his real-life skills to extricate himself from the role of leading suspect. Removed from his urban setting, Stanley stumbles through a few uncharacteristically slow moments, but soon he is up to his painted face in leads, tangled motives and cold sweat as he faces a matinee audience, planning to resolve the case with a surprising deviation from the Shavian script. The standing ovation is well-deserved.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

Ambulance-chasing shamus and long-ago amateur thespian Stanley Hastings (Juror, Shot, etc.) runs up to Connecticut to help out his old college friend Herbert Drake by taking over the role of Bluntschli, in Arms and the Man, from the late Walter Penbridge. Opening night, which Stanley miraculously survives, is marred when he discovers the corpse of stage manager Goobie Wheatly, who had loudly humiliated him just the day before--so that he naturally becomes friendly local Chief Bob's chief suspect, beating out even such competitors as hammy TV actor Avery Allington and leading lady Margie Miller, whose amorous exploits can't leave her much time to sleep. The usual Hastings formula--mystery-mongering with amusingly lowbrow byplay substituting for detection. Middling for the series. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mysterious Pr (January 1, 1993)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 273 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0892965207
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0892965205
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.6 3.6 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

About the author

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Parnell Hall

Parnell Hall

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Parnell Hall is the Shamus Award winning, Edgar nominated author of the Stanley Hastings Private Eye novels, the Puzzle Lady crossword puzzle mysteries, and the Steve Winslow courtroom dramas. With Stuart Woods he writes the NewYork Times bestselling Teddy Fay thrillers.

Parnell has a scene with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Hercules in New York. He also wrote the screenplay for the movie C.H.U.D.

Please buy his books to save him from these misspent lives.

Customer reviews

3.6 out of 5 stars
3.6 out of 5
51 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

John Tolley
3.0 out of 5 stars I am reading this mostly excellent series in order
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2014
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I am reading this mostly excellent series in order. I enjoyed the first seven books immensely. I found this story, however, to be less than up to the standard set by the prior books. An enjoyable read, to be sure, but so much of the book was about acting and so little about solving a murder, I found myself restless and bored at times. Given the degree to which I've enjoyed previous titles, I'm willing to cut the author some slack - on to the 9th in the series and beyond!
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Hendo 2
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Stanley Hastings Mystery
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2013
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Parnell Hall writes very naturally and all his stories get you in. Each book has a different topic but all the stories tie in with the character.
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars highly entertaining private eye
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2012
Verified Purchase
PI Stanley Hastings is called to a community theater outside NYC to do a favor for a friend and appear in a play he had performed in twenty years before. He does so but, in the process,
discovers a corpse onstage. This is the first of Parnell Hall's books I have read; I have assured myself it was not the last by ordering all on Kindle for $2.99 or less. Those set by the publisher at a standard paperbound price less a small discount, I have disregarded.
Stanley Hastings, Mr. Hall's hero in this series, is a nervous, impulsive, somewhat awkward, somewhat down at the heels, private investigator for what amounts to the nether reaches of that profession. He digs up evidence for an attorney who handles accidents and anything else that may come his way; that is, he is a general practitioner in law, not a Perry Mason (who was a top trial lawyer with a taste for the occasional odd case that intrigued him). In this book, Hastings, his hero, is the narrator, drawing nicely rounded portraits of his friend, the one who brought him into the setting, his friends partner, and a few assorted members of the cast and apprentices. The identity of the rest faded quickly from my mind as they did from Hastings memory. The most clearly drawn of the protagonists was the Chief of Police, who also occasional takes a walk-on part in a play put on by Hastings friend, director of the community theater productions. His many interchanges with The Hero make up a large part of the book; they make up a good part of the amusement for the reader and frustrat,,ion for Hastings.
All-in-all, while there are some rough spots in terms of a tightly knit work, there is a good deal of pleasure to be found for the average mystery reader. The author writes like the experienced professional he must be (what with the number of publisher screened books he has written). I commend this book as a good one to start (or continue) reading the author's series. The price on these kindle books is right; whether the higher price recent ones which are also published in the old fashioned manner, are worth it, I will have a better idea as I read the ones still in the $0.99-2.99 category (as of this writing).
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Karl Hampton
3.0 out of 5 stars Okay read
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2012
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Entertains and keeps your interest, well worth the $, a good mystery with interesting characters - plenty of plot twists and turns, I enjoy Halls books but this wasn't my favorite
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Wally
4.0 out of 5 stars another good Hastings mystery
Reviewed in the United States on August 1, 2015
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Up to his typical standards of Stanley Hastings novels. Great read. I really like Parnell Hall; if you do, you will love this book.
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Vicky
5.0 out of 5 stars nice
Reviewed in the United States on March 16, 2016
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always a fun read
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Richard Gentile
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on September 25, 2015
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Very good book
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Mike Campbell
4.0 out of 5 stars Different from the rest, but still good
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2019
As I've been reading the Stanley Hastings books in order, I've come to appreciate how Parnell Hall changes things up so that the books don't seem repetitive. This one strays from the formula further than most of them. For intance, Stanley's day-to-day job for Richard Rosenberg is strictly mentioned in passing, and none of the characters from that part of Stanley's life are in the story. A good chunk of the story is dedicated to the technical side of theater. If one hasn't acted before, it's probably something that they've never even thought about. Despite these stark changes from the norm, there's still plenty of humor to be found, specifically from Stanley's observations and his dealings with his wife and the local police chief. And, it's not a Stanley Hastings story unless Stanley is sure he's solved it, but winds up being completely wrong.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Atasco
1.0 out of 5 stars TEURER + SCHWÄCHER
Reviewed in Germany on January 27, 2015
Verified Purchase
ZU VIEL THEATERINTERNA UND ZU WENIG KRIMI. ICH HABE MEINE STANLEY HASTINGS AERA ERSTMAL BEENDET. GLEICHZEITIG HAT PARNELL HALL AUCH NOCH DIE PREISE ERHÖHT ... .
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