5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hitch Himself Would Approve, Oct 27 2009
By Mark Baker - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dial H For Hitchcock: A Cece Caruso Mystery (Paperback)
Taking your honeymoon alone is not recommended. Just ask Cece Caruso. She's just returned from a lonely cruise after calling off her wedding. And she's returned to find herself facing a deadline on her biography of suspense master director Alfred Hitchcock. So what does she do? She goes to a screening of Vertigo at an old theater in town.
The next morning, Cece finds someone else's cell phone in her purse. Trying to return it, she witnesses a murder. Then the killer calls her and warns her to keep quiet. As she begins to try to find out who is doing this to her, Cece continually finds herself one step behind...herself. What in the world is going on?
I've been watching a few Hitchcock films over the last couple of years since I knew he would be the subject for this book. As a result, I completely got it. The book is a classic Hitchcock set up, and it works brilliantly. While parts in the first third were a tad slow, I was hooked the entire time and couldn't wait to see how it ended. And how did it end? Well, I'm not going to give anything away, but I will say I absolutely loved it.
Since the point of the book was to isolate Cece, we don't get to see too much of the supporting cast. I missed them, but hopefully we'll get to see more of them soon in a later book.
There were some bits of humor to lighten the load as things progressed, but the further the story went, the more it focused on the mystery.
Even though the plot is very Hitchcockian, I do think fans of the series who aren't familiar with the director will enjoy the book as well. This is a great book that will keep you reading until the very last page.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
super amateur sleuth, Oct 28 2009
By Harriet Klausner - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dial H For Hitchcock: A Cece Caruso Mystery (Paperback)
After completing Christie (see Christietown), in Los Angeles biographer CeCe Caruso is way behind her deadline for the definitive bio on Hitchcock having wasted time on a single person's honeymoon after kicking police Detective Peter Gambino to the curb. A fan of the late filmmaker, she sees Vertigo. However, leaving the theater CeCe somehow has someone else's cell phone so turns around to return it.
CeCe travels to Beechwood Canyon to return the cell phone to its owner Anita Colby. There she sees someone push the owner off a cliff reminding her of Vertigo. When the police discover a message CeCe left Anita on her answering machine, she becomes their suspect in the murder.
The latest CeCe Caruso biography mystery is a super amateur sleuth tale that pays homage to the great director and his films throughout a taut investigation. Filled with jocularity, Susan Kandel keeps CeCe climbing into danger as she fears becoming a dead star in her own film without the accolades of one of the Hitchcock beauties. Fans of Hitchcock will relish Ms. Kandel's terrific tale of an innocent woman in a state of frenzy sought by a killer and the law (sounds so Hitchcockian).
Harriet Klausner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dial H for Hitchcock, Nov 16 2010
By jojo - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Dial H For Hitchcock: A Cece Caruso Mystery (Paperback)
This is the latest in a fun & funny mystery series, each one related to a famous crime writer (Alfred Hitchcock, Agatha Christie, etc.). I have read three so far. All were a pleasure to read. Really clever writing. Looking forward to the next in the series.