Publisher's Synopsis
"This is an extremely intelligent, interesting, and well written book." -Murder Is Academic
"... compelling analysis of the comedy thriller... " -Theatre Studies
"... almost as much fun to read as is seeing the actual plays discussed... " -Journal of Popular Culture
The phenomenal success of such plays as Deathtrap and Sleuth heralded the advent of a new form of detective play-the comedy thriller. Carlson takes the wraps off the comedy thriller and reveals its postmodern effects. He looks at all the elements of the thriller-openings, settings, characters, plot lines, the role of the audience, and endings-and shows how they work to overturn the conventions of realism in detective drama.
