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Peter Cutler Sargent II Series

This series follows the career and personal life of a public relations consultant navigating the complex landscape of New York City. Each installment delves into the intricate world of media, politics, and corporate dealings, exposing the strategies and compromises required to manage public perception. The narrative explores themes of ambition, ethics, and the often-blurred lines between truth and manipulation in high-stakes environments. It offers a compelling look at the machinations behind influence and power.

Death Likes It Hot
Death in the Fifth Position

Recommended Reading Order

  1. Death in the Fifth Position

    • 240 pages
    • 9 hours of reading

    Set against the backdrop of a ballet company, the story follows Peter Sargent, a charismatic public relations man, who is tasked with managing press for an important performance. The plot thickens when a talented dancer falls to her death during the show, leading Sargent to uncover a web of rivalries, affairs, and hidden agendas among the dancers. As he navigates the intricate dynamics behind the scenes, Sargent uses his charm and sharp instincts to unravel the mystery and identify the killer.

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    3.3

  2. Death Likes It Hot

    • 212 pages
    • 8 hours of reading

    Early in his career, bestselling novelist Gore Vidal wrote three sparkling mysteries under the pseudonym Edgar Box starring amateur sleuth Peter Cutler Sargeant II. Death Likes It Hot, originally published in 1954, is the third of the trilogy. This edition features a new introduction by the author. Young public relations whiz Peter Cutler Sargeant II is invited by socialite Rose Veering to spend a weekend at her palatial Easthampton home. Sargeant, eager to escape New York city's summer heat, readily accepts, although his aging hostess soon has him doing double duty arranging publicity for an upcoming society party. Publicity soon arrives in a gruesome form when a guest is drowned. Was it an accident or murder? As the police investigate, Sargeant does his own snooping into the lives of his fellow suspects - and what he learns convinces him that something is dangerously amiss. This diabolically funny locked-room mystery is filled with Vidal's witty observations and dissections of the upper class.

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