This funny, funny 3-act spoof of the mystery play set box-office records in its nine-performance premiere as the annual melodrama at Houston's Theatre Suburbia, followed by numerous performances on the dinner theatre circuit. Police Officer Hootspah decided that writing about crime is better than his real-life job of dealing with it on the street. He takes Agatha Christie's murder mysteries as his model and starts out. In spite of Hootspah's constant bumbling and ineptness, the characters he creates take over and the story which emerges is funny. For example, the main character, a playboy type, wakes up from two days of "sleeping it off " to discover that he has two brides and a fiancee. It's funny and it's suspenseful—not only are we kept guessing who did the murder, we keep wondering why the corpse keeps disappearing...and where.

One interior (city apartment); modern clothes. A lively addition to any season—for all groups.

"Set box office records for the Tombstone Repertory Co."—Bisbee, Ariz., Observer. "The large audiences responded with plenty of laughs."—Washington Post review of Tantallon Community Players production. "Hilarious examination of what makes a murder play click...don't miss it if you like to laugh."—Houston Banner. "A cop writes a murder mystery right before our eyes on the stage. The idea is great."—University of Houston Daily Cougar. "a Broad spoof of the detective mystery genre...a far out and funny who-dun-it"—Sue Daphin, Houston radio review.

Other Cope plays: Agatha Christie Tackles Texas, Airport 1904, Don't Print That, Frankenstein's Centerfold, The Invisible Man, The Last Tango in Pango Pango, Without a Clue

See also: Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem