Murder At The Bridge Table

First published in 1988, this book has been out-of-print for several years. It is a mystery and a bridge textbook all in one, and accomplishes both exceptionally well. Based on the author's own experiences, and set in and around a Manhattan bridge club, the story includes many real-life bridge characters whose names will be familiar to readers.

Beautiful and conceited Alicia Matcham leads us through an intriguing web of deceit in search of a killer who is, bizarrely, welcomed by her family. This exciting, gripping crime novel is full of suspense and delivers a thrilling final twist.Saturday 10 June 1933, and one of Charles's Whitten's bridge players collapses at the table, apparently from natural causes. Charles's youngest daughter Patty is convinced it's murder and pleads with her sister Alicia - a party girl with connections - to help discover the truth. Their brother William is a penniless drunkard, their mother ingenuous, Patty naive, their father Charles all bluff and bluster and then there is John the seductive butler. It feels as though Alicia is in one of the new Agatha Christie murders: there were four people in the card room, surely one must be the murderer?

Kansas City, 1929: Myrtle and Jack Bennett sit down with another couple for an evening of bridge. As the game intensifies, Myrtle complains that Jack is a “bum bridge player.” For such insubordination, he slaps her hard in front of their stunned guests and announces he is leaving. Moments later, sobbing, with a Colt .32 pistol in hand, Myrtle fires four shots, killing her husband. The Roaring 1920s inspired nationwide fads–flagpole sitting, marathon dancing, swimming-pool endurance floating. But of all the mad games that cheered Americans between the wars, the least likely was contract bridge. As the Barnum of the bridge craze, Ely Culbertson, a tuxedoed boulevardier with a Russian accent, used mystique, brilliance, and a certain madness to transform bridge from a social pastime into a cultural movement that made him rich and famous. In writings, in lectures, and on the radio, he used the Bennett killing to dramatize bridge as the battle of the sexes. Indeed, Myrtle Bennett’s murder trial became a sensation because it brought a beautiful housewife–and hints of her husband’s infidelity–from the bridge table into the national spotlight. James A. Reed, Myrtle’s high-powered lawyer and onetime Democratic presidential candidate, delivered soaring, tear-filled courtroom orations. As Reed waxed on about the sanctity of womanhood, he was secretly conducting an extramarital romance with a feminist trailblazer who lived next door. To the public, bridge symbolized tossing aside the ideals of the Puritans–who referred derisively to playing cards as “the Devil’s tickets”–and embracing the modern age. Ina time when such fearless women as Amelia Earhart, Dorothy Parker, and Marlene Dietrich were exalted for their boldness, Culbertson positioned his game as a challenge to all housebound women. At the bridge table, he insisted, a woman could be her husband’s equal, and more. In the gathering darkness of the Depression, Culbertson leveraged his own ballyhoo and naughty innuendo for all it was worth, maneuvering himself and his brilliant wife, Jo, his favorite bridge partner, into a media spectacle dubbed the Bridge Battle of the Century. Through these larger-than-life characters and the timeless partnership game they played, The Devil’s Tickets captures a uniquely colorful age and a tension in marriage that is eternal.

After four bridge players are poisoned, newspaper reporter Wendy Winchester sets out to catch a killer who's not playing with a full deck . . . When the four wealthy widows who make up the venerable Rosalie Bridge Club never get up from their card table, this quiet Mississippi town has its first quadruple homicide. Who put cyanide in their sugar bowl? An aspiring member and kibitzer with the exclusive club, Wendy takes a personal interest in finding justice for the ladies. She also has a professional motivation. A frustrated society columnist for the Rosalie Citizen, she's ready to deal herself a better hand as an investigative reporter. This could be her big break. Plus, she has a card or two up her sleeve: her sometimes boyfriend is a detective and her dad is the local chief of police. Partnering up with the men in her life, Wendy starts shuffling through suspects and turning over secrets long held close to the chest by the ladies. But when a wild card tries to take her out of the game, Wendy decides it's time to up the ante before she's the next one to go down . . .

From Donald Ray Pollock, author of the highly acclaimed The Devil All the Time and Knockemstiff, comes a dark, gritty, electrifying (and, disturbingly, weirdly funny) new novel that will solidify his place among the best contemporary American authors. It is 1917, in that sliver of border land that divides Georgia from Alabama. Dispossessed farmer Pearl Jewett ekes out a hardscrabble existence with his three young sons: Cane (the eldest; handsome; intelligent); Cob (short; heavy set; a bit slow); and Chimney (the youngest; thin; ill-tempered). Several hundred miles away in southern Ohio, a farmer by the name of Ellsworth Fiddler lives with his son, Eddie, and his wife, Eula. After Ellsworth is swindled out of his family's entire fortune, his life is put on a surprising, unforgettable, and violent trajectory that will directly lead him to cross paths with the Jewetts. No good can come of it. Or can it? In the gothic tradition of Flannery O'Connor and Cormac McCarthy with a healthy dose of cinematic violence reminiscent of Sam Peckinpah, Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers, the Jewetts and the Fiddlers will find their lives colliding in increasingly dark and horrific ways, placing Donald Ray Pollock firmly in the company of the genre's literary masters.

Murder at Bridge by Anne Austin: A thrilling murder mystery set in the quaint town of Bridge. When a prominent member of the community is found dead under suspicious circumstances, amateur detective Miss Anne-Marie Austin takes it upon herself to uncover the truth. As secrets, lies, and motives intertwine, the residents of Bridge find themselves entangled in a web of intrigue, leading to a shocking revelation that will leave readers on the edge of their seats. Key Aspects of the Book "Murder at Bridge": Mystery and Suspense: The book delivers a gripping narrative filled with suspense and unexpected twists, keeping readers guessing until the very end. Character-driven Plot: Anne Austin masterfully crafts a story where the characters' personalities and motives play a crucial role in the unfolding of the mystery. Small-Town Atmosphere: The setting of Bridge adds a charming and atmospheric backdrop to the thrilling tale of murder and investigation. Anne Austin was a renowned mystery writer known for her captivating narratives and intricate plotlines. Born in England, she had a keen interest in detective fiction from a young age. Throughout her career, Austin penned numerous successful mystery novels, each with its unique twists and surprises. Murder at Bridge showcases her mastery in the genre and remains a timeless classic in the world of mystery literature.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Murder at Bridge" by Anne Austin. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.

"Young Matthew's first visit to the Mayfair bridge club in New York is made to try to rescue his schoolfriend Stanley. Once there, though, he becomes fascinated by the idea of money bridge, and how different the game is from the one he knows. His education in both bridge and life skills proceeds at the hands of the beautiful and dangerous Chops, the odious 'Pizza' McCarver, Otto the mad Hungarian, and the other singular denizens of the Mayfair. Before long, there is a mysterious accident at the club, and as the tensions among the players stretch to breaking point, a second tragedy seems almost inevitable. But this time, Matthew himself is the prime suspect. Can Matthew solve the mystery and clear his name? And just as important, can he gain some credibility at the bridge table and survive amongst the card sharks at the Mayfair Club?"--Back cover

*Now a Hulu limited series starring Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, and Archie Panjabi!* “A swift, harrowing classic perfect for these unnerving times.” —Jenny Offill, author of Dept. of Speculation One moonlit night, fourteen-year-old Reena Virk went to join friends at a party and never returned home. In this “tour de force of crime reportage” (Kirkus Reviews), acclaimed author Rebecca Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls—and boy—accused of a savage murder. As she follows the investigation and trials, Godfrey reveals the startling truth about the unlikely killers. Laced with lyricism and insight, Under the Bridge is an unforgettable look at a haunting modern tragedy.

Four sleuths, including Poirot, are invited to play bridge with four specially invited guests, each of whom had gotten away with murder. The host of the party is dead before the the game is barely started.