By John Kessel (born 1950).
First appearance: Intersections—The Sycamore Hill Anthology (1996).
Multiple reprints (HERE).
Novelette (22 pages).
Online at Baen Books (HERE) (HTML).
(Note: Parental caution: Some strong language.)
"You should have seen us trying to get the body out of the car and onto the boat. What a comedy of errors."STORIES about a hardboiled alcoholic detective who is divorced and not enjoying life are fairly common, as are tales with a Hollywood background—but there can't be too many stories about a hardboiled alcoholic Hollywood detective trying to collar a dead man
who's doing his level best to avoid being suspected of his own murder . . .
Typo: "Could an impostor could pick up"
Resources:
- John Kessel's SFFnal accomplishments are the subject of a Wikipedia article (HERE), the SFE (HERE), and the ISFDb (HERE); he also has a webpage (HERE).
- Yes, there really was a Preston Sturges; his career is limned (HERE), and one of his most famous films, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944), which figures heavily in our story, is detailed (HERE).
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"You know, he looks like that director, Sturges." |
He had invested in entrepreneurial projects such as an engineering company and The Players, a popular restaurant and nightclub at 8225 Sunset Boulevard, which were both net losses. At one point the third highest paid man in Ameri-ca—for writing, directing, producing, and numerous other Hollywood proj-ects—he was often known to borrow money (from his stepfather and studio, amongst others)."
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(Weird Fiction Review image.) |
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