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 A Philip Damon Mystery

By Peter Duchin and John Morgan Wilson

               Blue Moon, Berkley Prime Crime in October, 2002, launches the new Philip Damon mystery series, a mainstream series set in the world of high society and orchestral dance music and tinged with romance, nostalgia, humor – and suspense.

             Inspired by the life and times of Peter Duchin, often called “ America ’s preeminent society bandleader,” Blue Moon introduces the character of Philip Damon, a handsome young pianist who performs with his famous dance orchestra at some of America’s most glamorous society affairs.

             Joining Peter Duchin in writing Blue Moon is John Morgan Wilson – journalist, television writer and Edgar Award-winning mystery author.

 The Story:

     It’s October, 1963 – a more innocent, less complicated time, when the traditional dance music of the Philip Damon Orchestra is about to collide with the enormous social and cultural change of the evolving decade.

     After attending a Broadway show, Philip Damon dines in New York with several close friends, among them Jacqueline Kennedy and the authors, Truman Capote and George Plimpton.  It’s been two years since the tragic murder of Philip’s beloved wife, Diana – who died as her favorite song, Blue Moon, played on the hi-fi – a heartbreaking crime that remains unsolved.  Philip’s friends urge him to return to San Francisco, the city where Philip courted and fell in love with Diana, to fully embrace her memory so that he might finally let go and begin to live life more fully.

     Soon after, a booking at the legendary Fairmont Hotel lures Philip back to the scenic city, where he’s stunned to glimpse a beautiful woman on the street who bears a startling resemblance to his late wife.  That night, as his orchestra plays at a charity dinner dance, the lights suddenly go out.  When they come back on, one of the city’s most prominent and wealthy socialites lies dead on the dance floor, the victim of a brilliantly planned murder.  The suspects:  Everyone who was in the ballroom the moment someone thrust an ice pick into the heart of Terrence Hamiltion Collier III.

The mystery surrounding Collier’s murder propels Philip Damon into intrigue, danger and a troubled love affair with the alluring woman, Lenore Ashley, who looks so much like his late wife.  Encouraged by his good friend, Charlene Statz – civic leader, philanthropist and mystery buff – Philip becomes a reluctant sleuth, driven by the need to somehow bring the mystery of Diana’s murder to a close.

  At first, Philip clashes with Hercules Platt, the world weary but brilliant homicide inspector assigned to the Terrence Collier case, who’s fighting his own private battle against racial prejudice within the San Francisco Police Department.  But when Philip, Charlotte and Platt finally bond, they begin to uncover clues that take them deep into San Francisco’s dark history and colorful neighborhoods – clues linking several homicides spanning four decades, including the murder of Philip’s beloved Diana.  Along the way, they mingle with the likes of Joe Dimaggio, Alfred Hitchock, Kim Novak, Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra and Dizzy Gillespie, who become bit players in San Francisco’s most complicated and baffling murder case.

 The action comes to a thrilling climax atop San Francisco’s famous landmark, the 20-story Coit Tower, as Philip Damon fights for his life and Hercules Platt races to try to save him from the diabolical killer whom no one but Platt ever suspected.

About The Series:
Each novel will be set in the world of dance music and high society, moving from city to city, and featuring a lead character and storylines inspired by Peter Duchin and his remarkable life among the world's rich and famous.

For more on Peter, who is currently married to author Brooke Hayward (the bestselling Haywire), you might want to read Peter's autobiography, Ghost of a Chance (Random House, 1996).

Meanwhile, look for Blue Moon in the Fall of 2002, from Berkley Prime Crime.