The War of the Worlds Murder
by Max Allan Collins
Orson Welles is the bombastic wonder boy of radio and stage. But is he also a murderer?
Walter Gibson—creator of pulp superhero the Shadow—travels to New
York City to collaborate on a script with Welles, star of the radio show
The Mercury Theatre on the Air. The young Welles is a charming
but difficult taskmaster who relishes dramatic blowouts with friends,
lovers, and colleagues. So when a dead body is found in the studio
minutes before the live broadcast of The War of the Worlds,
Gibson knows Welles will be the New York Police Department’s number one
suspect. Gibson has exactly one hour—while Welles is on the air enacting
the infamous hoax story of a Martian invasion—to find the real murderer
and clear the radio star’s name. With its brilliant reconstruction of
the broadcast that hoodwinked the nation, The War of the Worlds Murder is a paean to radio’s golden age.
Walter Gibson—creator of pulp superhero the Shadow—travels to New
York City to collaborate on a script with Welles, star of the radio show
The Mercury Theatre on the Air. The young Welles is a charming
but difficult taskmaster who relishes dramatic blowouts with friends,
lovers, and colleagues. So when a dead body is found in the studio
minutes before the live broadcast of The War of the Worlds,
Gibson knows Welles will be the New York Police Department’s number one
suspect. Gibson has exactly one hour—while Welles is on the air enacting
the infamous hoax story of a Martian invasion—to find the real murderer
and clear the radio star’s name. With its brilliant reconstruction of
the broadcast that hoodwinked the nation, The War of the Worlds Murder is a paean to radio’s golden age.