Padme's Library: 01/06/17

Friday, January 6, 2017

Friday's Film Adaptions: The Gracie Allen Murder Case by SS Van Dine

Summary:
In this delightful outing, SS Van Dine introduces his re-life friend, comedienne Gracie Allen, into a Philo Vance mystery. The setting is New York City, but far from Philo Vance's typical milieu of Chinese antiquities, rare books, and esoteric studies. A peculiarly diabolical murder is solved through Vance's expert knowledge of rare perfumes and the invaluable assistance lent by Gracie, whose sweetheart, George Burns, is head perfume-smeller at the In-O-Scent Perfume Corporation.

"Gracie helps to expose a murder with the same inspired silliness that has made her fame over the air. Van Dine fans will enjoy him in this new role of humorist." -- Book of the Month Club News(1938)

Film
The zany plot follows nitwit Gracie Allen trying to help master sleuth Philo Vance solve a murder. Allen's uncle fixes her up with Bill at a company picnic. When the two go out to a nightclub that night, Gracie inadvertently links Bill to the murder of a thug after finding the dead body and Bill's cigarette case at the scene of the crime. While being questioned at the club, she meets Vance who's investigating the homicide. After Gracie's bungled attempts to solve the case, Vance decides it might be easier to have her working with him. Despite Gracie's "help," the two eventually find the real killer.

Release Date: June 2, 1939
Release Time: 78 minutes

Cast:
Gracie Allen as Gracie Allen
Warren William as Philo Vance
Ellen Drew as Ann Wilson
Kent Taylor as Bill Brown
Judith Barrett as Dixie Del Marr
Donald MacBride as Dist. Atty. John Markham
Jed Prouty as Uncle Ambrose
Jerome Cowan as Daniel Mirche
H. B. Warner as Richard Lawrence
William Demarest as Police Sgt. Ernest Heath
Sam Lee as Thug
Al Shaw as Thug
Richard Denning as Fred
Irving Bacon as Hotel Clerk

Author Bio:
S. S. Van Dine is the pseudonym used by American art critic Willard Huntington Wright (October 15, 1888 – April 11, 1939) when he wrote detective novels. Wright was an important figure in avant-garde cultural circles in pre-World War I New York, and under the pseudonym (which he originally used to conceal his identity) he created the once immensely popular fictional detective Philo Vance, a sleuth and aesthete who first appeared in books in the 1920s, then in movies and on the radio.

GOOGLE PLAY / IMDB / KOBO

INDIEBOUND / B&N

AMAZON / WIKI / GOODREADS

AMAZON US / AMAZON UK / B&N

WIKI / GOODREADS TBR

Film

AMAZON US / AMAZON UK

WIKI / IMDB / TCM

Random Meeting by Maggie Mundy

Title: Random Meeting

Author: Maggie Mundy

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Psychic Elements

Release Date: January 5, 2017

Summary:
Beth is a widow and Greg is an ex-con. They are two lost souls who have a random night of sex together. Nine months later they meet again. This time, swear words roll off her tongue as she gives birth to their son. Everything changes when Greg holds Josh, but this isn’t real, they are not married, or a happy family. Plus there are ghosts on the scene who plan on taking possession of people for their own ends. Greg can offer money, but can’t offer love. Their relationship should be doomed, but sometimes the most unlikely of partners bring out the best in each other if they can only stay alive.

Greg’s lips were so close, and Beth wanted them on hers. No, she didn’t, but yes she did––okay, seriously confused here. His eyes gazed into hers, and she sensed he was waiting for her. It was just a kiss, but it had been so long. More than that, she needed him to stay and make her feel alive, if he left her alone, she might do the unthinkable. She moved forward and lips touched, just a feather-light touch. She trembled, he trembled, and from that moment, she was lost.

He moved back and smiled at her. They were like a couple of naughty kids doing something they shouldn’t. His strong hands held her face as if she were delicate porcelain as he ran his right thumb slowly along her bottom lip, then he leaned forward. His lips brushed against hers, caressing them from one end to the other. Alarm bells were ringing and saying this was much more than a kiss, but she decided to ignore them just for one moment, then she would ask him to go.

That was a lie, and she knew it.

His lips parted, and Beth tasted the sweetness of his coffee as she explored his mouth. She had forgotten how sensual a kiss could be as his lips pressed firmly against hers, and his tongue swirled and discovered every corner of her mouth. His arms encircled her waist, pulling her close as his body pressed into her. It was too long since she had felt a man against her, a man hard for her, wanting her. Her arms hung at her side. She didn’t trust herself to touch him. She didn’t trust herself to do anything. He pulled away, and she found herself leaning forward, her breathing rapid as her mouth and body ached and yearned for more.

“I’d like to stay, Beth. You don’t know me, but I won’t hurt you, I promise. I just want to be with you.”

She could tell him to leave, but he made her hot in places that had been cold for so long. Her need was frightening in its intensity. He stood still. She needed to be wanted by him tonight, even if he walked out the door in the morning. In fact, she wanted him to walk out the door in the morning. No one would know. Didn’t she deserve to have a night of passion with a stranger, to make up for all the pain?

“Yes.” Was that her voice? It sounded breathy. He smiled at her and then bent his head so his lips touched her neck. His tongue swirled on her skin, causing her to melt inside. Her body was hot, and yet she shivered. The yearning she sensed deep inside was almost painful, but it was a good pain. She was still alive.

He stopped and stood back.

“You’re sure about this? I can still go. I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to.”

Author Bio:
I live in Adelaide, Australia with my husband, one cat, two dogs and a snake. I have a motorbike that I would like to ride more than I do and I love walking at the beach and listening to the waves. I've always loved reading all forms of fiction from high fantasy and paranormal to contemporary and decided the stories in my head needed to be written down. It was either that or start on medication. Unlike many, I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer until a few years back. I started off doing a degree in drama but soon realized my love was in writing, though there is a play lurking somewhere on my computer. My day job is as a nurse in the operating room. I believe romance can be fun to read and write but it’s exciting to spice it up with the uncertainty that comes with suspense where the rules can be broken.