The Lucky Stiff, Craig Rice
The Lucky Stiff, Craig Rice
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The Lucky Stiff

Author: Craig Rice

Narrator: Johnny Heller

Unabridged: 6 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/08/2020

Synopsis

Wrongly convicted of murder, a death-row chorus girl lives for revenge, in this novel from “the grand dame of mystery mixed with screwball comedy” (Ed Gorman).Anna Marie St. Clair was a normal Wisconsin-farm-girl-turned-mistress when she was framed for the murder of her racketeer boyfriend, one of Chicago’s sleaziest politicians. Sentenced to death, and only hours from getting fried, a lucky hitch sets Anna Marie free, but she blackmails the corrupt warden into informing the tabloids that she took her volts like a real trouper. What better payback than to haunt the lives of those who tried to steal hers? As the shapeliest ghost in the Windy City, she’s going to prove that dying well is the best revenge.Even luckier for Anna Marie, she has enthusiastic backup: attorney John J. Malone, who’s got a soft spot for scrappy dames; her best friend, nightclub stripper Milly Dale; and crime reporter Jake Justus and his wife, Helene, who are always game for adventure. But when navigating the criminal underworld gets a little too spirited, there’s no telling who’s going to end up dead.

About Craig Rice

Craig Rice (1908–1957), born Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig, was an American author of mystery novels and short stories, sometimes described as the “Dorothy Parker of detective fiction.” She was the first mystery writer to appear on the cover of Time magazine, on January 28, 1946.

About Johnny Heller

Johnny Heller, winner of numerous Earphones and Audie Awards, was named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile magazine in 2019. He has been a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award winner from 2008 through 2013 and he has been named a top voice of 2008 and 2009 and selected as one of the Top 50 Narrators of the Twentieth Century by AudioFile magazine.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Bev on March 12, 2019

"Anna Marie St. Claire died in the electric chair at one minute after midnight this morning, with a smile on her lips..." In The Lucky Stiff (1945) by Craig Rice (aka Georgiana Ann Randolph Craig), Anna Marie St. Claire is destined for a date with the electric chair for a crime she didn't do. Her law......more

Goodreads review by Jason on March 27, 2016

This book was written in 1945 and is a perfect example of the noir genre, which was all the rage at the time. A tale of a faked death, set ups, love, and loss. Maybe Tarantino isn't all that original, this plot has been recycled in his movies repeatedly (though they are all mostly excellent). Craig......more

Goodreads review by Randy Jones on May 26, 2024

John J. Malone Falls In Love It’s hard to write a synopsis of this novel without giving away some key plot points, so I’ll just say that The Lucky Stiff is another clever and entertaining entry in the series of mysteries featuring lawyer John J. Malone and his partners-in-crime-solving Jake and Helen......more

Goodreads review by Barbararose on September 11, 2018

Anna Marie thought about her upcoming death She was only an hour away from the electric chair for a murder she didn’t commit. Then 45 minutes, then 30. Then the warden got the call, the man who murdered her lover confessed. She had a plan, bury an empty coffin, and haunt people. Her lawyer said no, so......more

Goodreads review by John on March 07, 2021

Dated is some ways, not in others. A good romp, like some of the old black and white movies, everyone caravaning along for the adventure, the booze, the nightclubs and cigarettes... But ultimately it boils down to a contrivance or two that wouldn't serve well today.......more

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