More Murder, She Wrote

I have been friends with Randye Lordon for a number of years, and for most of them she has not had a book published. That was a shame, because I was a fan of the Sydney Sloane series of mysteries. If you’re not familiar with them (your loss), the reluctant but plucky detective protagonist first appeared in 1993 in the novel “Brotherly Love.” That was followed by six more murder mysteries, through “Son of a Gun” in 2005.

Then, Sloane, previously never at a loss for words, especially a wisecrack, went silent.

A mystery series character is like a shark — if it does not keep swimming, it dies. Aficionados of the genre can ponder how bereft they would be if, year after year, there were no new adventures of characters like Harry Bosch, Joe Pickett, Lucas Davenport and other popular protagonists.

What happened? What was this real-life mystery about?

“There were some big life changes and adjustments: new home, new job, new objectivity with no objective,” she told me. “I did write three other books, but none of them mysteries, and none sold. I think, too, that after that seventh Sydney Sloane book, I was ready to end that series.”

Everyone likes a comeback story, and, thankfully, there is one involving the Springs resident. Lordon’s new book, “She’s Dead, Who Cares?” has just been published. Its endearing protagonist is Mary Moody, and she’s out to solve a murder … or, murders.

Now, before I forget: Whether or not you read “She’s Dead, Who Cares?” beforehand, you’ll want to see the author reading from it. There are three opportunities coming up: this Saturday, April 1, at the East Hampton Library at 3 p.m. (call 324-0222 to register); Saturday, April 8, in the café area of the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, at 2 p.m.; and Lordon will be a participant in the “Hamptons Mystery & Crime Festival,” April 13 to 16, which should be a lot of fun (hamptonswhodunit.com).

According to Lordon, the manuscript of what would become “She’s Dead, Who Cares?” had been written years ago but languished in a cardboard box. Then, “I started to get my bearings again and joined a writers group, and with their help I found my enthusiasm again for this book.”

The original title was “Maid in the Hamptons,” but, Lordon said, “My agent thought a maid’s point of view wouldn’t be of interest to people looking to read about the Hamptons. I fought that. Wrote those other books. And finally returned to the manuscript.”

And the Mary Moody we have now was born.

She is described as a “celebrity concierge” who can handle everything from hiring Cirque du Soleil to perform at a wedding to the more mundane juggling of privileged brats, wealthy wannabes, getting the Bentley detailed — and unexpectedly solving a murder or two.

Like her ancestor, Sydney Sloane, Mary Moody never expected to add sleuth to her job description. However, when a client — a nasty but well-known art dealer — goes missing, Mary is hired by the one person who notices and cares that the woman is gone. And she’s gone, all right, never to return.

Clearly, Lordon had a grand time satirizing the over-the-top Hamptons one-percenters, creating a suspenseful mystery, and adding a loving tribute to dog lovers who know that “man’s best friend” is not just an idle phrase. Friendship compels Mary to agree to dig around for clues in the wealthy Long Island beach community, where people are losing their heads, literally.

Publisher’s Weekly, the most well-known of the book industry’s publications, has welcomed Lordon’s return to the mystery world. “Distinctive characters (both human and canine) match the twisty plot,” it opined. “Mary’s comic takes on her rich clients will leave readers eager for more.”

Well, will there be more? The author is working on the next Mary Moody thriller. It’s good to be back in the saddle at the keyboard.

Speaking of which, and this is quite self-indulgent: My next book will be published next Tuesday, and I’ll be doing a talk about it this Sunday, April 2, at the John Jermain Library in Sag Harbor at 2 p.m. (call 725-0049 to register). The full title is “Follow Me to Hell: McNelly’s Rangers and the Rise of Frontier Justice.”

The bottom line of the book is that in the 1870s, a rather ragged troop of Texas Rangers led by a legendary captain, Leander McNelly, got fed up with the rampant cattle rustling and other depredations along the border and decided to invade Mexico. Soon, there was a confrontation between the 26 of them and the Mexican army that became an international incident.

This is my first book about the American West since “Tombstone” in April 2020, and it will be interesting — and possibly devastating — to see if that audience has dried up during the three-year gap. Reviews so far have been kind, and we’ll see if readers are.

It was a pleasure this past weekend to return to a movie theater. It is a wonder that any of them survived during the pandemic and, both connected to that and inevitable, the shift to streaming outlets for many viewers.

The film I saw at the Sag Harbor Cinema was “The Lost King.” It is not a great film but is aptly described as “life affirming”: In 2012, a troubled but determined woman in Scotland leads an effort to find the body of King Richard III. It has been missing since he died during the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Thanks especially to Shakespeare, the king has been portrayed as one of the great villains in the history of Great Britain. The woman, played by Sally Hawkins, sets out to refute that.

I certainly do my share of watching such streaming shows like “Shrinking” and “1923” — by the way, two very different series starring Harrison Ford — but I was reminded at the cinema on Saturday evening of the pleasure of the shared experience of watching a well-done movie. Laughter, especially, feels better when there is a chorus of it.

This Sunday is the 121st anniversary of the opening of the first movie house, Tally’s Electric Theater, in Los Angeles, and I’m sure glad such places still exist.