The Gatsby Game

This comic novel was inspired by a real unsolved Hollywood mystery--the death in 1973 of David Whiting during the filming of the Burt Reynolds' movie, "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing". Whiting was found dead in the motel room of the married British actress Sarah Miles, which caused a massive media scandal. The cause of Whiting's death was never determined.

Names and places have been changed for this fictional speculation on what might have happened that night.

When smart-mouthed Bryn Mawr freshman Nicky Conway meets Fitzgerald-quoting Alistair at a Princeton mixer in 1969, she falls for his retro, Jazz-Age charm. But she discovers he's a con man obsessed with his own "Daisy"--British actress Delia Kent. After Alistair manipulates Nicky into nannying for Delia's daughter on the set of a Hollywood film, Delia finds Alistair dead in her motel room. Local police can't decide if it's accident, suicide--or murder, in which case, Nicky is the prime suspect

"In The Gatsby Game, Anne R. Allen blends a perfect combination of witty, sharp narration, a plot that won't let the reader go, and nuanced characters that evoke our caring. A genre novel that artfully transcends its genre."...Catherine Ryan Hyde, #1 bestselling author of When I Found You.

"Dark, twisted chick lit with a side of laughter. Plus celebrities, murder and and a smart-mouth nanny." ...Ruth Harris. NYT million-selling author

"The novel is full of wit, humor and sudden reversals of fortune that match the outsized characters."...Kathleen Keena

"I never thought I would have so much fun reading a chick lit novel, but this was great, even for my hardboiled sensibility."... Benoit LeLievre at Dead End Follies