Recreating Main Street In My Small Town Cozy Mysteries

Sometimes I wonder how it would be if I revisited the small town where I grew up if just to see what it is like today. No doubt it would look wet and cold. So, let's make it a clear, sunny day in June. While I made my way down the sidewalk along Main Street, I wonder if the memories would come back to me. I wonder if I would see the details I've forgotten, or I haven't thought about in many years. So far, I've resisted the temptation to return, and I probably won't do it. I suppose there really is something to the old saying you can't go home again. 

Seeing Main Street through an adult's eyes is a lot different than through seeing it through a kid's eyes. As a kid I believe I was more aware of my five senses. You know, the smells, sounds, and sights I encountered on Main Street. For instance, I can still recall the unique pungent scent of the fermenting corn I smelled around the grain elevators and metal silos at the Famers' Co-op.

It was located next to the railroad tracks at the far end of Main Street. The railroad tracks that I remember so well have helped me to anchor the mental map I've drawn to create my fictional small town of Quiet Anchorage, Virginia. I like for my two sister sleuths Isabel & Alma Trumbo to visit Main Street early in the book. In fact, many of the scenes take place on Main Street, either on the sidewalks or inside the different shops. Main Street becomes an important place for Isabel & Alma to go to mingle with and meet their friends.

Tuesday's Overlooked Movies: The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery Starring Steve McQueen

This 1959 bank heist drama stars Steve McQueen in an early movie role. I enjoyed watching his other films over the years, so I decided I'd give this one a try. For some puzzling reason, IMDb.com only rates it 6.0/10.0. I quibble with that low mark. Granted, the movie's pace is slow and deliberate, but I find that to be a good quality as it allowed me to see each of the four gangster characters evolve. McQueen plays a college dropout who is hired to play the wheelman in a planned bank heist. Of course, McQueen doesn't have any experience, but one of the gang members vouches for him. The same gang member also has a younger sister who McQueen is sweet on. Despite their casing the target bank and meticulous planning, tensions run high and testy within the gang. Since this is a film noir, we know things aren't going to go well for the robbers. Crahan Denton as the boss has a few hang ups that get in his way. David Clarke who vouches for McQueen gives an especially edgy performance. Clarke died in 2004 at age 95. All told, I give this film a solid thumbs up. McQueen went on to make better pictures, but he does a good job in this one which proves again crime doesn't pay.

My New Cozy Mystery Is Set In The Cozy 'Burbs

Earlier this year, I published my first title in a new cozy mystery series: The Corpse Wore Gingham. This series is different than my first cozy series featuring the elderly sisters Isabel & Alma Trumbo. They reside in the fictitious small town of Quiet Anchorage located in Virginia. Just like in Cabot Cove, the murders keep turning up in Quiet Anchorage, and they keep Isabel & Alma hopping with their sleuthing adventures.

However, Piper & Bill Robins reside in the fictitious suburb of Beverly Park located in the Northern Virginia area just south of Washington, D.C. Piper & Bill, like Isabel & Alma, are retired, but the Robinses are a married couple who have taken up the role of amateur sleuth. Their unusual decision wasn't made as a fanciful whim but as a practical course as the murder plot in The Corpse Wore Gingham shows. After solving their first case, they find themselves tackling a second one. That's the book I'm working on right at the moment.

Beverly Park is a tidy and quiet neighborhood with its residents like the Robinses who have lived there for decades. Families are raised there. The kids grow up and move away, but their parents stay because they consider Beverly Park to be their home. It has a sense of civic pride, and the neighbors living there like as well as look out for one another. In some ways, my suburb of Beverly Park is like my small town of Quiet Anchorage.

Just as a side note, Isabel & Alma Trumbo will be back, so don't forget about them. I'm planning on their return for late this spring or early summer, so thanks for adding them to your summer reading lists.

My First Draft to Book 2 Is Finished Today

I believe the time was 2:10 p.m. this afternoon when I wrote the last word to Book 2 of my Piper & Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series. I may have whooped out loud as I typed the final period to the final sentence. I know it's just a first draft--I've done enough of them to understand that--but I was happy at least for the moment. My other fiction projects this year have been editing and revising, so Book 2 is my first new fiction book I've written in 2015. I'll begin the first round of revising it over the next week, licking it into shape. Then I'll set the Book 2 draft aside for a few weeks before I begin the final edits. Meantime, Book 1 is The Corpse Wore Gingham where Piper & Bill Robins get started in their sleuthing adventures.

Why I Set My Cozy Mysteries In The Good Old Summertime

At the crack of dawn this morning, I was awakened by a disheartening KABOOM! noise going off behind our neighborhood. I instantly knew what it meant: the transformer had blown out, and our electric power was gone. I heard the wind kicking up in gusts outside the house, and I knew that was the guilty culprit. We've heard the blown transformer noise a lot this winter.

I went into the kitchen and checked the thermometer gauge: 8 degrees. I tapped it and still got the same cold reading. It was going to be a long day. But I'm not complaining. My dad worked for the power company for decades, so I know what their intrepid and determined crews go through to get the lights back on for us. Our power is back now, so hats off to them. Plus, we didn't get much snow, and I know what the brave, hardy folks up in Boston and New England have gotten with their snowfall totals this winter.

So, I sat down after a cold breakfast, and began my daily writing session. I keep a stack of yellow legal pads I like to write on along with my favorite Papermate ink pens. It had been quite some time since I last wrote anything lengthy in my longhand. But I went at it anyway. Right now, I'm working on the first draft of the next book in my cozy mystery series.

I always set my cozy mysteries in the good old summertime. I like the books's setting to be a pleasant one when the outdoors temperature is a moderate and not a frigid one. This morning while I wrote out my next scene in my cold room, I could enjoy the story's sunny warmth vicariously. So, it provided a nice distraction from my present woes. Really, when you think about it, that is one of the nice aspects about reading popular fiction: escapism. Now I have to go keystroke in my handwritten pages to the Word file of my first draft, which I also aim to finish very soon. Rap on wood. I hope you have a good week, as well. Stay warm!

Working On The Second Book In My Cozy Mystery Series

Earlier this year, I published book one titled The Corpse Wore Gingham in my new Piper & Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series. The reader comments and the reviews have been positive. I've been writing the second book, and today I'm happy to report, I reached the halfway mark in the first draft. By way of introduction, Piper and Bill are a retired couple who do their sleuthing in a Virginia suburb outside of Washington, D.C. Etta the gregarious birdwatcher and the opinionated but affable feline Snoozy Q will also be back. So, I'll post my future blogs as things move along on their next book. Meantime, I hope you'll check out their first adventuresome mystery The Corpse Wore Gingham and see how they got started. There are some surprises that come up.

I Marked My Calendar: Spring Training Begins February 19th

Every winter right about this time in blah February, my thoughts turn to the commencement of spring training. You don't have to be a fan of major league baseball (MLB) to be on the lookout for it. Spring training is one of the true signs of spring. While I'm shoveling the next load of fallen snow off my driveway and sidewalks (we live on a corner lot with more than one), I think of those guys down in sunny, balmy Florida (the Citrus League) or Arizona (the Cactus League). Of course, they're working and not playing around or loafing like I'd be doing. Still, it's nice to imagine being in a place without any cold, ice, and snow. This year the Washington Nationals have their pitchers and catchers reporting for duty on February 19th, which falls on the Thursday after Ash Wednesday. I circled the day on my calendar a couple of months ago as if I would forget it. I don't even think much ahead to the summer season when they play the sport. Right now, just basking vicariously in the Florida or Arizona sun is good enough for me. "Let's play two," the great Ernie Banks who sadly just passed away used to say. I like keeping around that positive attitude.

Is The Handwritten Letter A Relic Of The Past?

I'm afraid so, yes. It has gone the way of the dodo bird and passenger pigeon. I'm sitting here, and I cannot remember the last time I sat down and wrote a handwritten letter, or when I last received such a letter from a sender. Can you? Do the personal notes scribbled on the insides of Christmas cards under the greeting message qualify as handwritten letters? I know I must have packets of handwritten letters I got and saved. They are packed away in a pasteboard box somewhere from our different moves. Back in the early days of the internet, I used to print out my email letters so I would have a permanent record of them. I no longer do that, or else I'd have reams of paper containing the printed out emails. When did you last spot a functional public mailbox? I guess they are still around in the shopping centers and such well-trafficked places. Going down to our mailbox used to be a treat, but now we just receive third class junk mail. But I must say I very much like the ease and convenience of the digital age. I'd hate to return to the days of having only use snail mail. I bet you feel the same way, too.

The Strange Case of the Shrinking Packages

For my wife and me, it started out with the Chobani Greek Yogurt we bought in the 6-ounce plastic cups. Remember those? Then one day I happened to notice how the yogurt cups appeared to be a wee bit smaller as I was putting them into the shopping cart.

So, I read the label's fine print (luckily, I was wearing my bifocals) and discovered it was now 5.3(!) ounces of yogurt packaged in the plastic cup. The price hadn't changed, but the proportion size had decreased. Instead of raising the price, we got 0.7 ounce less of yogurt.

Our young checker paused while he was swiping the yogurt cups over the price scanner. He scratched his head and wondered out loud when the yogurt cup size had shrunk, and we filled him in.

So, I checked around. Peter McGuinness, Chobani’s chief marketing and brand officer, said: “It is the established category norm; everyone is at 5.3 ounces. Many of our consumers were confused at the shelf when comparing nutritional information. Many have sent messages clearly to us saying, ‘Why do you have more sugar and calories?’ We wanted to level the playing field so they were comparing apples to apples, yogurt to yogurt.” (Source: Boston Globe, 2/14/14)

Tuesday's Forgotten Movies: Blonde Ice

Oh, those poor guys who fall for the gorgeous but dangerous femme fatales. Will the guys ever learn? Apparently not, given all the films noir where they get burned and often burned badly. This 1948 crime film takes the femme fatale character to the extreme by calling her "blonde ice." For the most part, the film succeeds, but the last fifteen minutes are a bit confusing to me. The ending was a bit of a head-scratcher, but that's all I'll say about it. Anyway, Leslie Brooks stars as Claire Cummings Hanneman who has just gotten married when she steps out on the terrace to reassure her old lover he remains the object of her enduring love. Robert Paige is the poor sap who believes her, but to his credit, he's enough of skeptic to not totally fall for her glib line. She goes on her honeymoon and murders her new filthy rich husband, making it appear as a suicide. Brooks plays the "blonde ice" femme fatale with a frightening ease, and she only made a handful of movies before she retired from the motion picture business. The scheming airplane pilot (Russ Vincent) who blackmails her is her future real-life husband. All in all, I enjoyed watching the familiar dynamics play out Blonde Ice. You might, too, if you're a film noir fan.

How I'll Spend My Own Groundhog Day

Today is the celebration of that peculiar day known as Groundhog Day. If Punxsutawney Phil, our favorite groundhog residing in Pennsylvania, doesn't see his shadow when he comes out of his burrow, then we're suppose to get an early spring. But if Phil, no dummy, sees his shadow, he returns to hole back up in his burrow since spring will come late. However, Groundhog Day is also a 1993 fantasy movie where comedian Bill Murray plays a Pittsburgh TV weatherman who repeats the same day over and over. It's a cute and humorous film if you haven't seen it. The lovely Andie MacDowell is Murray's co-star.

It struck me as ironic this morning when I put out my first tweet of the day and mentioned that today is Groundhog Day. Coincidentally or not, I'm also repeating the process of starting my new novel. This book is the second title in my new Piper & Bill Robins Cozy Mystery Series. The first title The Corpse Wore Gingham came out in January. My plan is to bring out the second book in 2016. My sleuths are a retired married couple who decide to take up playing detective. I'm having a lot fun with the Robinses, and the books capture it.

So, we'll have a good Groundhog Day, and the best to Punxsutawney Phil when he makes his grand appearance.

Tuesday's Forgotten Movies: DEAD RECKONING Starring Humphrey Bogart

This fine 1947 film noir stars Humphrey Bogart as a grizzled World War Two paratrooper veteran and Lizabeth Scott as the blonde bombshell femme fatale. The last scene is fabulous, which is all I'll say about it. The plot left me scratching my head in a few places, but I thought the movie was well-acted, and it satisfies all of the things you expect from a film noir. There is lots of cigarette smoking, and a safecracker pal even smokes a pipe. Scott sings a torch song at a club that captures Bogie's heart, well, sort of, anyway. The setting is a small Southern city called Gulf City where it's hot. New Orleans is mentioned once, and I saw lots of Spanish moss on the trees. I read where Rita Hayworth was supposed to play the femme, but she was in the top brass's doghouse. Bogie is always watchable, and he has some great lines (pulp author Steve Fisher wrote the screenplay). All in all, Dead Reckoning is a worthwhile crime drama.

Current Movie Review: SELMA

We got up early and caught the matinee show of the new American historical drama film, SELMA. It recounts the actual events surrounding Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s civil rights protest march to the Edmund Pettus Bridge, in 1965, and, later, his march to the Alabama State Capitol in Montgomery to end the third march from Selma. There's been controversy raised about the film's historical accuracy, which I haven't been really following. I wanted to watch a good movie, and that's what I got for my ticket money. I haven't seen American Sniper playing in the next theater, so I don't have a basis of comparison, but I have to wonder about David Oyelowo getting passed over for the Academy Award nominations. Though SELMA carries a PG-13 rating, some of the protest scenes are a little brutal and bloody. I remember the events taking place, though I was a kid, at the time. The movie grabbed my attention from the start, and I was never unengaged during its 2 hours, 7 minutes runtime.

Book One Release To My New Cozy Mystery Series: THE CORPSE WORE GINGHAM

As I mentioned on my blog, this year I worked on developing and establishing a second and new cozy mystery series. This one is set in the Northern Virginia suburbs outside of Washington, D.C., where a retired couple decide to take up amateur sleuthing. They help a neighbor friend to solve a murder. I've had a lot of fun writing the first book, and the early sales and reader comments have been encouraging. 

NOTE: If you'd like to get a copy of my books newsletter for my next release late this spring, send me your email, and I'll gladly add you to my mailing list. I offer subscribers discounts before my general book release.          

The Corpse Wore Gingham. Piper and Bill Robins, a retired married couple, are enjoying their leisure years spent in the tranquil, leafy Washington, D.C. suburb of Beverly Park, Virginia. One sunny June afternoon, Emily Davenport, who lives in California, telephones Bill and asks if he’ll check on her elderly mother Anna living next door to the Robinses. She hasn’t answered Emily’s repeated attempts to call. After Bill and Piper go over, they discover Anna is murdered. The only found clue is her bloodstained gingham bathrobe. Appalled and even more outraged, Piper persuades Bill to become wife-and-husband amateur sleuths, and they set out to identify Anna’s killer. Meantime, Bill’s younger sister Noreen, a retired CPA, joins the Robinses. She taps her retired cop boyfriend Rick Novak and her mysterious, very opinionated tuxedo tomcat Snoozy Q for help. Besides a clean read and fair play modern “whodunit” mystery, The Corpse Wore Gingham offers readers likeable protagonists, good-natured humor, and a lively pace. Fans of my Isabel and Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series should also like reading about Piper & Bill's adventures. 

Kindle: http://bookShow.me/B00S1QRSKU

Nook: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-corpse-wore-gingham-ed-lynskey/1121021684?ean=2940150178540  

American Soldiers And Their War Brides

 Recently, I watched the 1951 war romance film titled "Teresa" directed by Fred Zinnemann (High Noon) and starring Pier Angeli and John Ericson. Ralph Meeker, Rod Steiger (debut), and James Coburn (uncredited) also starred in it. The premise was straightforward enough. Ericson played an American G.I. stationed in World War Two-Italy where he falls in love with the village young lady Angeli. Of course, they want to get married, and that's where I was surprised. The village priest marries them, and Ericson marches off to fight the war with his unit while Angeli waits for him. At the war's end, he ships home with the other American G.I.s, and she arrives later, after the official paperwork clears, with a bunch of other war brides. They are reunited. I knew the America G.I.s married the foreign women they met while in uniform and fighting, but I didn't realize it happened while the war still went going on. I'll have to do a little more reading on the point when I get a chance. Anyway, the movie "Teresa" was entertaining enough. Review to follow.

Who Gets An Exercise Bike For Christmas?

Apparently, several of my neighbors did this year from what I've observed. During my daily walks over the past couple of weeks, I've noticed the different packing boxes left with the other recycled material out at the curbstones. One of the things I've seen at least three times has been exercise bikes or other such workout equipment. I guess it has taken this long since Christmas for the folks to figure out how to build the equipment from the parts that come in the boxes. That by itself was probably a good workout for them. It would be for me since I'm not mechanically inclined. At any rate, I'm imagining the folks making their New Year's Resolutions probably included keeping some type of an exercise regimen. Good intentions and all that are good stuff. I'm not a big fan of using exercise bikes or treadmills or whatever. I like getting out of the house, even on the cold, snowy days. On the other hand, I also do a lot of silent cursing and doubting my sanity on the worst days I walk outdoors. I only hope I don't see all the exercise bikes and such given as gifts this Christmas put out at the curbstone next year for junk pickup.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: They Made Me A Killer

This 1946 film noir/crime drama is one of the B-movies produced by Paramount Studios at their Pine-Thomas unit. The best thing going for the movie is Daniel Mainwaring (Build My Gallows High/Out of the Past) was one of the script writers. Robert Lowery plays a tough-talking mechanic who blows Chicago after his brother dies and head for California to find his fortunes. He drives a big car with a powerful engine which he wants to sell to raise some money. He manages to get himself involved in a bank robbery and is forced at gunpoint to be the wheelman. After the cops grab him up, he escapes and goes on the run to prove his innocence and clear his good name. The attractive Barbara Britton plays the love interest who assists Lowery. Things step right along over the hour-long movie. One of the interesting minor characters is the Ma Barker-type older lady who hides out the bank robbers in the cellar of her restaurant. The copy I watched streamed to my laptop was bad quality. Not a terrific crime noir but enjoyable enough.

Tuesday's Forgotten Films: Foxcatcher (Current Movie)

This 2014 sports thriller movie is a long (134 minutes) and rather flat film, at least to this disappointed viewer. Super rich John du Pont (Steve Carell) invites Olympic wrestler Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) to live on his big country manor estate and form a wrestling team to compete in the 1988 Olympics. Mark's older brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo), despite some misgivings, supports his kid brother's move. Dave, also an Olympic wrestler, is also Mark's coach and mentor. The problem is John wants to take over that role in Mark's life and career. Carell does a good job with the du Pont character (based on a true story), but du Pont is too wooden, humorless, and restrained. (Plus, Carell has a ridiculously huge nose as part of his makeup.) He interacts with his mother Jean played by Vanessa Redgrave, but maybe their distant and loveless relationship should've been further explored. We see that she likes the thoroughbred horses, and he doesn't. But something else sure needed to happen to generate tension and suspense. Anyway, the talented Ruffalo was fine as he always is in any picture I've watched him act in. Foxcatcher isn't a terrible movie, by any stretch, but maybe I'll enjoy the next movie I see more. I hope so.

Tuesday's Overlooked Films: Unbroken (Current Movie)

I read the 2010 nonfiction [book:Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption|8664353] by Laura Hillenbrand, and liked it enough to want to go see the movie version playing in  theaters around the nation.  Actress Angelina Jolie directed and produced the movie which centers around the eventful if not inspiring life of American Olympian and athlete Louis "Louie" Zamperini who is portrayed by actor Jack O'Connell. Zamperini died recently in 2014. The movie is mostly about his experiences during World War Two as first a bombardier stationed in the Pacific and later as a POW at different Japanese war camps. As far as I can remember, the movie is pretty faithful to the book. The movie is a long one, and it could stand a bit more of humor. The book had some humor, especially during the grim, brutal POW life. This movie isn't film noir, but it's easy to see what the war vets had gone through before they returned home. It's little wonder such gritty, dark film noir had its emergence. Anyway, Unbroken is entertaining and even uplifting. Some of the violence is a bit heavy, but you know how it's going to end.

This Year Our Neigborhood Broke With Its Holidays Tradition

                                 
Every year for as long as I have lived in my Northern Virginia suburb, we have set out the luminaries on a scheduled day. But this year, the homeowners voted to discontinue the holidays tradition. We voted to keep it, but the majority ruled. I'm not sure what the argument was against the luminaries. I know the weather isn't the greatest when folks put out the white paper bags with sand and candles. It's tricky trying to light them and keeping them lit. But the soft, reflective glow effect is nice to look at when everybody does it. Maybe there will be future community traditions established, but this one looks to be a no-go now.

I Found A Nice Way To Catch The Holiday Spirit

Last night we did the Meadowlark's Winter Walk of Lights located out in the Northern Virginia suburbs. The outdoors temperature was 49 degrees before we left, so it was nice enough to be out and not shivering from the cold throughout the walk. It's about one mile long. Naturally, there's lots of bright, cheerful lights. You might need to wear sunglasses. Just kidding. Some lights are shaped like woodland creatures like owls and woodpeckers. A creek is simulated with fish and frogs. The strawberry field display is my favorite. There's a bunch of stuff to take in, so we go through twice. Every year there seems to be more cell phone cameras. Everybody wants to stop and frame a snapshot. Some of the grumpy old men grumble about it, but everybody is generally patient with a sense of humor. There's no rush to finish the walk. It's not a race unless you want to get to the hot chocolate and marshmallows served at the end. The holiday walk might become a yearly tradition. At least it's a way to get out and enjoy the holiday lights up close instead of viewing them from a passing vehicle. I hope your holidays are going well.

One Writer's Post-Christmas Blog

The mild weather for Christmas 2014 was a nice change from the frigid temperatures we'd been getting in December. Travel is less stressful in good weather, isn't it? Except the radio station I was listening to stopped playing their holiday songs and returned to their regular format. Well, I needed to get back to my writing, anyway. I have two Isabel & Alma Trumbo cozy mysteries I'm finishing up for publication in 2015. The series has been a lot of fun over the past few years for me to write. Readers have liked them, and the sales have been high enough for me to continue writing the books. I didn't realize how much I miss about living in a small town until I undertook writing the series. So, it's been a homecoming of a sort for me. Quiet Anchorage is a nice place to visit and also live. The only bad thing is all of the murders that keep cropping up. Luckily, the sheriff has a couple of sister sleuths he can call on for their assistance. He begrudgingly admits he's grateful they're on his side. Books 4 and 5 will carry on their adventures. Be looking here for further updates.

Happy Holidays For 2014

I've been lax in posting my blogs this month, even my film noir reviews, with my trying to get a couple of new books ready for release in 2015. The good news is I've made fairly rapid progress, so I'll be posting announcements about them later. Meantime, I'll take this opportunity to wish everybody a happy and safe holidays. I'd also like to thank my readers for their continued support in 2014. It has meant a lot to me.

Update On My New Cozy Mystery Series

Shortly after the holidays in 2015, I'm going to release the first title, The Corpse Wore Gingham, in my new cozy mystery series featuring Piper and Bill Robins, a wife and husband sleuthing duo.

The Robins live in the suburbs of Northern Virginia outside of Washington, D.C. I've been working hard on The Corpse Wore Gingham throughout much of 2014. It includes lots of humor, fun characters, and a traditional whodunit fair-play murder mystery plot.

The Corpse Wore Gingham complements my established Isabel & Alma Trumbo Cozy Mystery Series, my pair of sisters who sleuth away in their small town of Quiet Anchorage, Virginia. Isabel and Alma will also be back next year in one or two new books. More on that later.

I've also been keeping a board at Pinterest for each of my cozy mystery series if you hang out at Pinterest.

Piper & Bill Robins' Pinterest board link: http://www.pinterest.com/edlynskey/my...

Isabel & Alma Trumbo's Pinterest board link:http://www.pinterest.com/edlynskey/my...

Tuesday's Overlooked Movies: The Limping Man Starring Lloyd Bridges

NOTE: I'm posting my weekly blog early this week due to the holidays.
REVIEW: I got a big kick out of watching this nifty 1953 crime drama starring Lloyd Bridges, Moira Lister, and Leslie Phillips. Since it was filmed in the U.K., I didn't recognize any of the actors except for the Yank, Mr. Bridges who was lent out to the British film company. The marketing idea was to help the movie gain a U.S. audience if Bridges was one of the marquee stars. I know he starred in High Noon, but I didn't think he had that much public fame. Lloyd plays Frank Prior, a construction engineer, flying overseas to London to see his wartime girlfriend when he was stationed there as a G.I. I like the premise from the get-go. Of course, when he arrives in London, he discovers all is not as it was six years before when he left his girlfriend. The South African actress Moira Lister (died 2007) playing his girlfriend is something of a daredevil driving fast cars and boats. I like how Bridges is drawn into her web of intrigue, and we're never sure about her sincerity. The 76-minute movie is fast-paced and well-acted. IMDb.com rates it 5.9 but I give it a solid 7.0 because I like Lloyd Bridges, and there is a neat surprise ending. Great postwar stuff.