Shaffer's follow-up to Sleuth (1970) is Murderer (1979). This play opens with a thirty-minute silent sequence in which the audience observes a gruesome murder that is not at all what it seems.

Anthony Shaffer and his twin brother co-wrote several mystery novels. The first, The Woman in the Wardrobe (1952), appeared under the pseudonym Peter Antony, followed by Withered Murder (1955) and How Doth the Little Crocodile? (1957). All of these novels make use of classic detective conventions. How Doth the Little Crocodile?, like Sleuth, contains a staged murder.

Ira Levin's two-act play Deathtrap (1979) draws from Sleuth m its topsy-turvy plot. It centers on a down-on-his-luck playwright, his wife, and an amateur writer. Precisely who is the victim, murderer, and ultimate victor is unclear until the play's final, suspenseful moments.

Agatha Christie's two-act play The Mousetrap (1952) is one of Britain's most successful plays. It ran...