VANCOUVER, Wash., May 6, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Alfred Hitchcock was the master of suspense. His films often pitted ordinary people against unusual circumstances. In the same vein, Russell Medhurst (Frank Roach) writes short stories with the same fervor and fair as the legendary Hitchcock. His new collection of stories, A Wicked Thing! And Other Short Stories of Mystery and Suspense (now available through 1stBooks), is a foray into the realm of the strange and macabre.
Medhurst weaves mystery, suspense and elements of the supernatural through the 10 stories offered in his often creepy and sometimes humorous stories. His characters are all ordinary people like police officers, children and housewives placed in the unusual situations where they are driven by anger, jealousy, greed, revenge and curiosity. Medhurst's protagonists are varied and complex, many meticulous planners or eager opportunists. They commit convoluted crimes that often go awry with catastrophic and occasionally ironic results.
Fans of suspense and the unusual will find a wealth of stories to entertain them. In "Tick Tock, Buy a Clock," James Pelfrey III finds a clock that belonged to his grandfather in the antique shop owned by Archibald Lived, a strange old man. In spite of not having enough money, Mr. Lived ushers James out, clock in tow, partially paid for, and a little confused. A jealous husband schemes to injure or kill his wife when he discovers love letters from an unknown lover in his wife's drawer in "Head Over Heels." A dead body with a knife in his chest keeps being reported, but disappears before the police arrive. It is up to two detectives to solve the case of the "Hide and Seek Corpse."
Medhurst graduated from the Goodman Theater in Chicago with a bachelor's degree in acting, directing and writing. In the past 45 years, he has performed, written and directed for the theater, feature films, television, commercials and documentary films. He has also done voiceover work. He taught voice, diction and acting for film and television at Moorpark Community College in Southern California part time until 1999. Currently he resides with his wife, Renee, between Vancouver, Wash. and Santa Maria, Calif. This is his first book.
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