Book Synopsis

Ira Levin's Broadway triumph Deathtrap melds gasp-out-loud thrills with laugh-out-loud laughs in a murderously entertaining "who'll-do-it" of a play, within a play, within a ...

Once-successful Sidney Bruhl has only a string of recent flops to his credit when he's sent an instant hit of a thriller written by a former student. Is Sidney desperate enough to kill in order to claim the work as his own? Envy, ambition, betrayal, and hidden agendas intertwine in this "brimming tumbler of arsenic and Schweppes" (Time), whose ingenious plotting and dazzling twists have kept audiences on the edge of their seats for half a century.

The longest-running thriller in Broadway history, Deathtrap's hybrid comedy-thriller format was a new animal when introduced by Levin in 1978. After garnering Edgar and Tony awards and setting the world record for the sale of screen rights to a play, Deathtrap was filmed in 1982 starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve and served as partial inspiration for 2019's box office success Knives Out.

This new edition features an introduction by the author's son, Nicholas Levin.

Review Quotes

"An absolute knockout of a suspense melodrama...and fun straight through."

"The intricately fashioned plot contortions brought gasps, the comedy lines drew delighted chortles."

"If you care to assassinate yourself with laughter, try Deathtrap."

"It is a classic thriller, a genre with a style, a manner, and an audience of its own."

"The definition of good old-fashioned entertainment."

"Two-thirds a thriller and one-third a devilishly clever comedy...Suspend your disbelief and be delighted. Scream a little. It's good for you."