Description: Live theatre was once the main entertainment medium in the U.S. and the United Kingdom. The preeminent dramatists and actors of the day wrote and performed in numerous plays in which crime was a major plot element. This remains true today, especially with the longest-running shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables andSweeney Todd.
Brief description: The late Marvin Lachman won the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Award and the World Mystery Convention's Anthony Award for his writing about the mystery. He lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Review Quotes: "[Lachman's] knowledge is thorough and his analysis comprehensive and concise"-Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine; "offers a fascinating look at a wide variety of criminous theater"-Sherlockians and Doyleans; "this new survey of an often ignored area of crime fiction scholarship admirably fills a serious gap. This book deserves to be on the shelf of every serious fan of crime fiction"-CADS.