A role to die for…
by Christina Hamlett, author and screenwriter - Review of Playing Mrs. Kingston by
Tony Lee Moral
What’s a down-and-out young actress to do when her latest
production has been cancelled, her hunky Italian boyfriend owes money to
unsavory acquaintances, and they’re barely able to keep the lights on in their
grungy New York apartment? The year is 1959 and just when things seem to
heroine Catriona Benedict that they can’t possibly get any worse, salvation
arrives in the form of a wealthy, enigmatic rescuer with an unusual
proposition. In order to fulfill the conditions of a “marriage inheritance”
before he turns 40, Miles Kingston needs Catriona to pretend to be his new
bride for a few weeks. Not only, he tells her, will she live in fabulous style
at the family mansion, have a closet full of designer labels and be seen on his
arm at posh parties but there will also be no physical intimacy between them
behind the closed door(s) of the bedroom.
Odd as it all sounds, Catriona recognizes a chance to lift herself and Mario out of squalor so they can realize their dream of a happily ever after in Italy. Mario, however, is not filled with feelings of unmixed delight. Seeing his girlfriend’s picture splashed across the society pages on the arm of a rich guy is enough to make his blood boil. And when the newly married Mrs. Catherine Kingston suddenly finds herself a widow, there’s no shortage of suspects – including Mario – that catch the eye of the local police.
This page-turning thriller captures all the gritty nuances of film noir, and author Tony Lee Moral’s familiarity with Alfred Hitchock (he’s written three books about the filmmaker) is well evidenced in the smart pacing, escalating suspense and multi-layered characters who are not all they pretend to be. Moral’s wordsmithing aptly captures the ambiance of The Big Apple in such detail that you can practically smell the garbage on the streets, feel the texture of Catriona/Catherine’s expensive silk gowns, and have your taste buds tickled with properly chilled champagne. His fictional characters move seamlessly amongst rich and famous celebrities of the day, a technique that makes the story feel all the more “real” and plausible to us.
That he chose an earlier decade in which to unfold the plot was a wise decision. As one of my professors in college once opined, “As a writer, it’s easier to get away with murder in an era that’s not as dependent on technology as the current one.” Conveniences we take for granted such as cell phones and access to the Internet are not at his characters’ disposal, thus forcing them to rely on their own wits to stay slim steps ahead of danger. Nor would it be as easy today for someone like Catriona to reinvent herself overnight as an heiress from South Africa and graduate of Princeton. Modern technology has made the world a smaller place, but its absence half a century ago certainly made it a broader playing field for those that wanted to engage in skullduggery beneath the radar.
Odd as it all sounds, Catriona recognizes a chance to lift herself and Mario out of squalor so they can realize their dream of a happily ever after in Italy. Mario, however, is not filled with feelings of unmixed delight. Seeing his girlfriend’s picture splashed across the society pages on the arm of a rich guy is enough to make his blood boil. And when the newly married Mrs. Catherine Kingston suddenly finds herself a widow, there’s no shortage of suspects – including Mario – that catch the eye of the local police.
This page-turning thriller captures all the gritty nuances of film noir, and author Tony Lee Moral’s familiarity with Alfred Hitchock (he’s written three books about the filmmaker) is well evidenced in the smart pacing, escalating suspense and multi-layered characters who are not all they pretend to be. Moral’s wordsmithing aptly captures the ambiance of The Big Apple in such detail that you can practically smell the garbage on the streets, feel the texture of Catriona/Catherine’s expensive silk gowns, and have your taste buds tickled with properly chilled champagne. His fictional characters move seamlessly amongst rich and famous celebrities of the day, a technique that makes the story feel all the more “real” and plausible to us.
That he chose an earlier decade in which to unfold the plot was a wise decision. As one of my professors in college once opined, “As a writer, it’s easier to get away with murder in an era that’s not as dependent on technology as the current one.” Conveniences we take for granted such as cell phones and access to the Internet are not at his characters’ disposal, thus forcing them to rely on their own wits to stay slim steps ahead of danger. Nor would it be as easy today for someone like Catriona to reinvent herself overnight as an heiress from South Africa and graduate of Princeton. Modern technology has made the world a smaller place, but its absence half a century ago certainly made it a broader playing field for those that wanted to engage in skullduggery beneath the radar.
www.mediamagnetism.org
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christina-Hamlett/155417084517326
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