Joyce Rebeta-Burditt (–2022)

I have never read anything by this author before. This was her first novel and if it's anything to judge by she had great things ahead of her. It was written in 1977 and tells the story of Cassie, an alcoholic who ends up in a psychiatric ward. Cassie is a wife and mother of three and is in her early 30s. She is witty and intelligent and I thought she was very likable although if I had to deal with her as a drunk I probably wouldn't have liked her. Throughout the book she analyzes her feelings and by the end is able to make decisions that will enable her to stay sober. I would recommend this book for anyone who has ever dealt with alcoholism either personally or in friends or family.

One of my favourite passages from the book:
Life in the psychiatric ward bears a certain resemblance to an ocean cruise. After three days connections with the real world become ambiguous. Within a week we become totally detached from the problems, pressures, people, places, and things that supposedly caused us to crack up or shut down or go bananas or do whatever it is we did that caused society, our near and dear ones, and the medical profession to rise up as one and shout, "Hey, you with the crying jags and confusional delusional despair. You are a fruitcake!"

There was apparently a movie made of this book with Natalie Wood as Cassie. I haven't seen it but that seems like an excellent casting choice.… (altro)

I found this book buried in my tbr pile. I know that I bought it without knowing anything more about it than it was written by Joyce Burditt. I'd read her previous books Triplets and Cracker Factory, and as a result she was included on the list of writers I automatically buy whenever they come out with new publications. What I liked most about Buck Naked was Burditt's blending of a murder mystery with the Hollywood behind-the-scenes nonsense that takes place during the production of a tv show. Burditt would know all about that since she both wrote and produced episodes of Perry Mason, Matlock, The Father Dowling Mysteries, and Diagnosis Murder.

In Buck Naked there is a murder in which the head of a tv series actress is delivered to Demeter O'Brien, the PI hired as a consultant to the popular tv series, Stone Private Eye. It is in O'Brien's best interests to solve this murder mystery as quickly as possible since a note came with the head warning that O'Brien would be next.

Burditt has written a decent mystery story, and she's also thrown in some very interesting characters. That's another reason Burditt's writing appeals to me. I like mysteries, but I also like quirky characters. Burditt serves up plenty of those.

If I were to compare Joyce Burditt's Buck Naked to another writer, I'd say the Stephanie Plum series is quite similar to this Demeter/Dutch O'Brien story. It's funny and sharp and well written. I wish Burditt had written more.… (altro)