The Bloody Man

In the first of the Jean-Claude Keyes trilogy, by Bruce Barber and the late Virgil Burnett (as "Bevan Amberhill"), Keyes travels from Toronto to Stratford, Canada and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. The fire of emotion beneath the glamour of the world of the stage emerges when Keyes discovers the body of a young actor, murdered outside the theatre.Actor-turned-writer Jean-Claude Keyes boards a train bound for Stratford, Ontario, Canada and the world-famous Stratford Shakespeare Festival. His intent is to finish writing his insider's biography of leading actor Seamus O'Reilly, see old friends, and perhaps re-kindle his affair with actress Alessandra Edel. But, as Keyes says to himself, things are never the same when you go back to a place you have known, no matter how well. The fire of deadly emotion beneath the glamour and glitter of the world of the stage emerges when Keyes discovers the body of Alan Wales, a young, arrogant actor, murdered outside the theatre during a performance of MACBETH. A cast of directors, designers, and theatrical stars become suspects, and Keyes becomes a reluctant sleuth.