While readers might be tempted to dismiss this one as one of those lightweight novelty mysteries due to the cover and its “written by an old film star” origins, that would be a terrible mistake. First of all, though there is some hokum about George Sanders writing this, it has Craig Rice’s fingerprints all over it. While he may have “helped” with some movie-set ambiance and other details, there is no doubt in my mind after reading this breezy and incredibly entertaining murder mystery that Rice not only penned it, but she gave it the full monty in regard to her talent. While the grittier aspects of her delightful Malone series are softened a bit, the story and the surroundings, and the dialog all sparkle like champagne. Even more astounding is how perfectly Rice has captured George Sanders, from his voice to his keen wit and droll humor.

The murder mystery itself is well done, and nothing to sneeze at. Sanders, as himself, is finally getting a break from playing The Falcon and The Saint films by making a Western. Someone is shot during a scene, despite all the guns supposedly being loaded with blanks. When it’s quickly discovered it may have been Sanders’ gun that did the killing, he removes the evidence. He’s suspected anyway, yet can’t reveal what he’s done because it will only make him look more guilty. So Sanders must use everything he’s learned playing The Falcon and The Saint in order to find the real killer.

What transpires is a delicious mystery with a likable protagonist in the “real” George Sanders — just as you remember him from the movies. The supporting cast of personal assistants, actors, directors, producers and other movie-related people, and Sanders’ interaction with them as he seeks to ferret out a killer among them, make for an entertaining murder mystery. A missing piece of film comes into play for a while, and there are people attempting to cover for other people, even confessing at one point. There is tons of atmosphere in this humorous — yet slightly deadly — mystery; Sanders himself has more than one close call, and a couple more murders occur before our suave hero can figure it all out.

There is a completely different listing for Crime On My Hands under Craig Rice's name which is the same book, and it may eventually be merged with these editions. Rice and Sanders could easily have mailed this in way back when, but they did anything but, making it a breezy delight to read. Great fun! ( )

Real Rating: 3.5* of five

There is nothing new under the sun. The George Sanders of this book is an actor playing a part; the author George Sanders is that actor in real life, writing with ghostwriter [Craig Rice], thus proving that speaking words written by others is a powerful draw to actors.

Ms. Rice had quite a career in Golden Age Hollywood. Sanders did, too. Many excellent movies; many dreary ones too. No career is without low points. But the Sanders of this novel isn't low, he's rising in a rare starring turn. That's what he has longed for while he racked up thousands of hours playing detectives in popular but unrewarding serials (today he'd be a TV star). So now he's got it, what happens but there's a murder commited in front of him! And it's not the last!

How "Sanders" solves the crime is nice and twisty, thanks to Craig Rice. It was a pleasant read, it felt warmly nostalgic in its tone (Sanders-the-narrator giving a behind the scenes tour of a location shoot), and the proceedings are wrapped up with a resounding bang.

Rainy weekend? Here's you a pacey, twisty, attention-holding read. ( )