If you haven’t seen the movie, written by Neil Simon and released in the 1970’s, and you’re a fan of classic mysteries and oddball humor, you’re missing out on a classic. It’s brilliantly written and brilliantly casted. It’s an homage and a spoof, so if spoof’s aren’t your thing, skip it, you’ll be disappointed. It’s the original Clue! only the characters are based on Nick and Nora, Miss Marple, Sam Spade, Hercule Poirot, and Charlie Chan.
The book was written to be a faithful reproduction of the movie, though H.R.F. Keating uses the opportunity of the written word to name drop additional authors like Conan Doyle and Sayers. And it is an exact, faithful reproduction of the movie – until the last 5 short paragraphs where Keating, apparently, couldn’t help himself and changed the ending. It’s a small thing, but it sets my teeth on edge because it’s a sop.
Still, I cherish this book as I do the movie. I just need to stop at the fifth to last paragra