alan gordon, writer
    • Home
    • Books
    • Short Fiction
    • Musical Theater
    • Blog
    • BIO
    • Contact

Latest Blog Posts

Stephen Sondheim: Now, Later, Soon, and Why I Became A Lyricist

The great Sondheim burst of the 1970’s was a decade of work unequalled by any other Broadway songwriter. [The Bock/Harnick run from “Fiorello” in 1959 through “The Rothschilds” in 1970 may be comparable, but that was their entire output. Sondheim, both before and after the 70’s, is responsible for several more musicals, including arguably three […]

New musical project, because I'm crazy

I’ve been plugging away at a pseudonymous mystery series, but I’ve tried to keep a musical project going simultaneously. For the last few years, it’s been an adaptation of “Gilgamesh,” for which I am doing the book and my old Lehman Engel Workshop classmate Lawrence Rush is doing the score. More on that as we […]

The Pastrami vs. Lox Debate

My synagogue hosts the recent traditional Purim debate, which in the past has been on the relative merits of hamantaschen vs. latkes. This year, however, they changed the topic to Pastrami on Rye vs. Lox with Bagels. I was proud to represent Team Pastrami. Here are my prepared remarks: I turned 60 this past Sunday, […]

Coming Events

Upcoming appearances:
 
     Malice Domestic Conference, Bethesda, MD, April 24-27
    
          Malice-Go-Round, Friday, April 25th, 10:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m., Ballroom D
 
          Panel: Including Real Characters and Events in Historical Mysteries
                       Moderator: Mally Becker, with authors S.J. Bennett, Amanda Flower, and Mariah Fredericks
                       Saturday, April 26, 2:00 – 2:50 pm, Ballroom B
 
         Author signing: Saturday, April 26, 3:00, Bookroom
 
     Kew & Willow Books Historical Mystery Panel, May 10, 7 p.m.
 
        With Radha Vatsal, Mariah Fredericks and Laura Joh Rowland
        81-63 Lefferts Blvd., Kew Gardens, NY
        Reservations required!
 
    CrimeCONN2025, May 17, Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT, 10 a.m.
 
       Panel: From Briefs To Books: Lawyers turned crime writers tell us how they got there.
 
       With Mally Becker, Jodé Millman and Wendy Walker
 
       Registration required!
 
Guest Essay in Donis Casey’s “Write Errant” website. Read it here.
 
AN EXCELLENT THING IN A WOMAN, Sparks and Bainbridge #7, is out from Severn House!

A riveting, fast-paced mystery full of wartime secrets, romance, and psychological trauma. Kirkus

Montclair seamlessly blends fair-play detection, immersive period detail, and dashes of humor in her latest historical featuring matchmakers Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge … Montclair’s light, comic touch and gift for well-placed clues are on full display. It’s another solid entry in a dependable series. Publishers Weekly

My essay “An American Lost in London” is in the Winter, 2024 Mystery Readers Journal, talking about my Sparks and Bainbridge series.
 
MURDER AT THE WHITE PALACE was voted Favorite Mystery of 2024 by DorothyL! Also made the Best Mystery Lists for Deadly Pleasures, CrimeSpree, and readingreality.net.
 
The series got a great review on NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour! You can read the transcript here. (It’s toward the end.)

I have added demos for three new shows: “At The Grave Of The Great Detective,” a one-act with composer Madeline Stone; “Doreen,” a one-act with composer Dave Hall; and “Gilgamesh,” for which I did the book and Lawrence Rush wrote the score. Check out the Musical Theater Page!

©Copyright 2025 Alan Gordon
Site design: It's Taking Shape