The Unkindness of Strangers

Warner Brothers is getting it from all
sides and Joe Bernardi seems to be everybody's
favorite target. "A Streetcar Named Desire"
is unproducible, they say. Too violent, too
seedy, too sexy, too controversial and what's
worse, it's being directed by that well-known
pinko, Elia Kazan. To make matters worse,
the country's number one hate monger, newspaper
columnist Bryce Tremayne, is coming
after Kazan with a vengeance and nothing Joe can do or say will stop him. A vicious
expose column is set to run in every Hearst paper across the nation on the upcoming
Sunday but a funny thing happens Friday night. Tremayne is found in a compromising
condition behind the wheel of his car, a bullet hole between his eyes. Come Sunday and
the scurrilous attack on Kazan does not appear. Rumors fly. Kazan is suspected but he's
not the only one with a motive.
Consider:
"¢ Elvira Tremayne, the unloved widow. Did Tremayne slug her one time too many?
"¢ Hubbell Cox, the world weary flunky, whose homosexuality made him a target of
derision.
"¢ Willie Babbitt, the muscle. He does what he's told and what he's told to do is
often unpleasant.
"¢ Jenny Coughlin, Tremayne's private secretary. But how private and what was her
secret agenda?
"¢ Jed Tompkins, Elvira's father, a rich Texas cattle baron, who had only contempt
for his son-in-law.
"¢ Boyd Larrabee, the bookkeeper, hired by Tompkins to win Cox's confidence and
report back anything he's learned.
"¢ Annie Petrakis, studio makeup artist. Tremayne destroyed her lover. Has she
returned the favor?


Genre: Mystery