Haila Rogers has landed a nice supporting role in the Broadway production of the fluffy English drawing room comedy, “Green Apples,” when her boyfriend Jeff Troy finally pops the question. He also tells her he’s been invited to take a “vacation” from his advertising job. Still, things might be worse. Then Carol Blanton, Haila’s roommate and a fellow actress, is nearly killed on opening night. She narrowly escapes but during the next performance, the killer strikes again, this time successfully murdering another actress who was dressed in Carol’s robe. The play’s producer turns to Jeff for help, promising him a nice paycheck should he nab the killer.

This bright sparkling comedy of manners was first published in 1940 and introduced to the world Jeff and Haila Troy, one of the most engaging husband-and-wife sleuthing teams in the history of the genre. As a critic with Reviewing the Evidence put it in discussing another case for the Troys, The Frightened Stiff, “Reading the book is like being transported into a very entertaining black and white movie—very enjoyable, quite silly, and very self indulgent. I loved it.”

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