A series of murder mysteries—Quickstep to Murder, Dead Man Waltzing, and The Homicide Hustle–with a beautiful and adventuresome heroine who is half-owner of a dance studio has lots of entertaining action that might inspire a movie or two. Author Ella Barrick makes no claim to be an expert dancer, but her sources on studio owner, dance teacher, and student behavior know their stuff. She even parodies Dancing with the Stars, with the thinly-disguised “Ballroom with the B-Listers”. Wilddancer liked the Quickstep and Hustle ones best, but all three are easy to read and good entertainment for non-dancers and dancers alike. And they put the romance back into dancing.
We need another good dance movie or two to get people excited about couples dancing again. Dancing with The Stars and So You Think You Can Dance are good entertainment, but they’re reality shows intended for watching (and making money for TV networks). And they are increasingly featuring dance types that social dancers can’t do. We hope that Hollywood beckons to the author and produces a film as good as Strictly Ballroom (1992) or Shall We Dance? (the Japanese one in 1996).
I enjoyed Homicide Hustle very much, and will read the other 2. It’s interesting that the author does not dance but relies “on the kindness of competitive ballroom dancers and friends who foxtrot fabulously for the dance details in my Ballroom Dance Mysteries. And, of course, I watch Dancing with the Stars for costume and choreography ideas.” .. what would she write if she did dance!