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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
I am being featured in the Cloak and Dagger Mystery Bookstore’s newsletter. Find it here.
We have a publishing date and a title for Sparks and Bainbridge #8! FIRE MUST BURN comes out from Severn House on January 6, 2026. The proprietors of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are summoned to assist British Intelligence in assessing the loyalties of a man moving up the ladder in the Foreign Office, who also happens to be an old Cambridge friend of Iris. Loyalties will be severely tested.
Guest Essay in Donis Casey’s “Write Errant” website. Read it here.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
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!