Product DescriptionHot on the trail of seven talking parrots that have seemingly vanished into thin air, the Three Investigators are in more trouble than ever. Danger lurks at every turn as they search for the birds, each of whom can quote part of a coded message from a mysterious dead man. From the Back CoverOriginally published in hardcover beginning in 1964, these classic mystery/adventure stories feature three boys--Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews--who establish a detective firm with the motto "We Investigate Anything!" Perfect for summer reading, these suspenseful action stories will appeal to both boys and girls.

A fresh, innovative interpretation of the life, work, and lasting influence of the twentieth century's most iconic filmmaker.In The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock, Edward White explores the Hitchcock phenomenon—what defines it, how it was invented, what it reveals about the man at its core, and how its legacy continues to shape our cultural world.The book's twelve chapters illuminate different aspects of Hitchcock's life and work: "The Boy Who Couldn't Grow Up"; "The Murderer"; "The Auteur"; "The Womanizer"; "The Fat Man"; "The Dandy"; "The Family Man"; "The Voyeur"; "The Entertainer"; "The Pioneer"; "The Londoner"; "The Man of God." Each of these angles reveals something fundamental about the man he was and the mythological creature he has become, presenting not just the life Hitchcock lived, but also the various versions of himself that he projected, and those projected on his behalf.White's portrayal illuminates a vital truth:...

“It needs something.” Hitch stared out the window as they passed St Peter's Church, which dated from the eleventh century. Alma waited. She was soon rewarded. His face lit up. “I know what we need. We need a marvelous, brutal, bloody murder! The gorier the better. " The taxi driver cringed and narrowly avoided hitting a pedestrian. Alma's shoulders sagged. “Now how do I work a murder into a story of two chorus girls in a music hall? Have you a clue?" “If I had a clue, we'd have a murder." In this stunning new novel by George Baxt, Alfred Hitchcock gets his murder—two, in fact—but with few clues. It is 1925, and Hitch and his wife are discussing the script for his new film, The Pleasure Garden, which they are currently shooting in Munich. It is the set for this film that becomes the stage for just the sort of “brutal, bloody” murder Hitch describes— only this one is quite unpleasantly real. There are no leads to follow, except evidence that the murder weapon had been used the previous night in the grisly stabbing of yet another member of the ill-fated film’s staff—and a curiously catchy and persistent melody last played by the murdered pianist. Eleven years and twenty films later, the Munich murders are still unsolved. Hitchcock, who is living with Alma in London, has begun to win international acclaim as a writer of spy thrillers. He is working on The Lady Vanishes when he receives a mysterious phone call from the past that thrusts the ever-expanding director into the role of the pursued—wanted for a crime he did not commit—in a chase worthy of a scene from one of his own films. Studded with plot detail from Hitchcock’s many films and featuring the famous director himself in this ingenious and stylish thriller, The Alfred Hitchcock Murder Case is a treat for Hitchcock fans and George Baxt fans alike.

A gripping short biography of the extraordinary Alfred Hitchock, the master of suspense. Alfred Hitchcock was a strange child. Fat, lonely, burning with fear and ambition, his childhood was an isolated one, scented with fish from his father's shop. Afraid to leave his bedroom, he would plan great voyages, using railway timetables to plot an exact imaginary route across Europe. So how did this fearful figure become the one of the most respected film directors of the twentieth century? As an adult, Hitch rigorously controlled the press's portrait of him, drawing certain carefully selected childhood anecdotes into full focus and blurring all others out. In this quick-witted portrait, Ackroyd reveals something more: a lugubriously jolly man fond of practical jokes, who smashes a once-used tea cup every morning to remind himself of the frailty of life. Iconic film stars make cameo appearances, just as Hitch did in his own films: Grace Kelly, Cary Grant, and James Stewart...

From Ed McBain to Sara Paretsky: a celebration of over fifty years of mystery masterworks.For over fifty years, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine has been one of the foremost magazines of mystery and suspense. This celebratory anthology features such bestselling writers as Lawrence Block, Ed McBain, and Jan Burke, just three of the esteemed contributors to have appeared in the magazine’s pages over the past five decades. This impressive anthology reflects the diversity of every issue of the magazine: historicals and police procedurals, cozies and noirs, humor and suspense. From Jim Thompson in the fifties and Donald Westlake in the sixties, to recent stories by S. J. Rozan, Martin Limon, and Rhys Bowen, this anthology documents over a half century of superb storytelling.From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Landrigan, AHMM's editor-in-chief, has done an outstanding job of selecting 34 short stories to represent the half-century of her magazine's existence. The roster of authors is close to an all-star roster of American mystery talent, with many names, such as Lawrence Block, Evan Hunter and Sara Paretsky, familiar to a wide audience. The selections span the range of the genre, from gritty noir to historical. The writing is uniformly excellent, making it hard to single out individual stories for praise, but Donald E. Westlake's "Good Night! Good Night!" about a murder victim's search for his killer, which echoes Joel Townsley Rogers classic novel The Stopped Clock, and Bill Pronzini's Nameless Detective tale, "Death of a Nobody," are standouts. Perhaps this volume's greatest virtue is providing a showcase for the gifts of lesser-known writers such as Stephen Wasylyk and Henry Slesar. This will be a must-have for all serious mystery readers. (June) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From School Library JournalAdult/High School–In the middle of the last century, Hitchcock took popular culture by storm in a variety of media, including film, television, and short stories. Not a writer in any genre, his special genius was in identifying noir–and sometimes comic–tales told by others. Collected here are chronologically arranged exemplars of his taste. Opening with a story by hard-boiled champion Jim Thompson that appeared in the magazine in 1957 and ranging through such luminaries as Evan Hunter (writing as himself and as Ed McBain), Bill Pronzini, Lawrence Block, Sara Paretsky, and S. J. Rozan, and ending with Rhys Bowen's New Orleans-set tale of modern voodoo, these pieces have broad appeal. Each story has a terse paragraph introduction of its theme and its author's place in the field. The settings and plots are sorted across offices, city apartments, a small-town bank, and other common places. Some tales end with a surprise twist while others develop their momentum in a dreaded atmosphere. Mystery lovers may want to read the whole collection from cover to cover, while those not yet fans of the genre will, nonetheless, find one story or another worth the quarter hour it takes to consume. A good addition for collections serving students enrolled in short-story courses as well as for casual readers.–Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

One of cinema's greatest directors, a virtuoso visual artist, and a genius of the suspense genre, Alfred Hitchcock (1899–1980) is universally known for such masterpieces as Strangers on a Train, Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Psycho, and The Birds. The author, a distinguished film critic and friend of Hitchcock's, enjoyed his full cooperation. Based on numerous interviews, with photos from the private family albums, and an in-depth study of the making of his last film, this biography of the director is as intriguing, revealing, perverse, and entertaining as any Hitchcock classic.Amazon.com ReviewIt's likely that readers who have watched many of Alfred Hitchcock's films can't help but have noticed how frequently he depicts fetishism, sadism, and voyeurism. Because Hitchcock was a reclusive man and a guarded interview subject, almost everyone who writes about him turns to his work for insight into his life. These writers generally conclude that the director himself was possessed by the very pathologies that resound in his movies.But John Russell Taylor didn't have to go that route. He wrote this biography with the participation and blessings of the man himself. In Hitch, Taylor admits that his subject often projects his fantasies onto the screen. He also provides a good deal of insight into Hitchcock's domineering, obsessively courteous demeanor. But the focus here is on the details of Hitchcock's life, the preparation and production of his movies, and his relationships with the countless cinematic luminaries who worked with him, including Ingrid Bergman, Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, and James Stewart. --Raphael ShargelFrom Library JournalThough biographies of the great director abound, most concentrate primarily on his career-making Hollywood blockbusters. Taylor's work, however, covers at great length Hitchcock's early, lesser-known British films. This remains "a worthy addition to the literature on Hitchcock" (LJ 10/15/78).Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A gripping behind-the-scenes look inside the classic suspense shocker—and the creative genius who revolutionized filmmaking First released in June 1960, Psycho altered the landscape of horror films forever. But just as compelling as the movie itself is the story behind it.Stephen Rebello brings to life the creation of one of Hollywood's most iconic films, from the story of Wisconsin murderer Ed Gein, the real-life inspiration for the character of Norman Bates, to Hitchcock's groundbreaking achievements in cinematography, sound, editing, and promotion. Packed with captivating insights from the film's stars, writers, and crewmembers, Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho is a riveting and definitive history of a signature Hitchcock cinematic masterpiece.