Anthony Shaffer's play Sleuth was a phenomenal success when it first appeared in the theater world. It opened in London's West End theater district and played for the next eight years. Critics in England and the United States applauded the play's plotting, surprise twists, and unrelenting suspense. British reviewers found it to be an outstanding thriller, comparing it favorably to the works of such mystery masters as Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock.

Upon opening on Broadway, the play received equally rave reviews. Critics and audiences appreciated its mixture of spoof and mystery. In the New York Times, Clive Barnes dubbed it "one of the must purely entertaining plays of many a season." He lavishly praised Shaffer's writing as "delicious " and continued, "It has a ponderous frivolity to it that sparkles like golf course sunshine on early-morning corpses." Critics also commented on Shaffer's manipulation of the detective...