Blissfield
by Douglas Post

Carter Bartosek, a foreign correspondent stationed in Beirut, returns to his Midwest hometown for the funeral of his best friend, a former congressman who apparently took his own life while high on alcohol and painkillers.

Carter discovers that his friend had left the larger political arena in order to run for mayor of this town, which has transformed itself from an industrial community in decline to a high-tech hub, and that his progressive agenda might have alienated certain members of this now affluent municipality.

Over the course of five days, Carter kicks through the ashes of his childhood and confronts those people whom he considers to be his extended family in search of the truth surrounding this alleged suicide.

Was his friend murdered for his politics?

And, if so, what does that say about Carter himself and this bucolic place he once called home?“Mysteriously magic BLISSFIELD presents a compelling case … A piece that clicks along smoothly with suspense and surprise and finishes with a tremendous kick of irony … It’s like a terrific B-movie, with brains — and a conscience.”

—Chicago Tribune“A total success … Douglas Post has a gift for suspense, and he creates a genuine curiosity and, thankfully, a satisfying revelation.”

—New City“A zippy thriller … a veritable whodunnit, albeit one with a few weighty themes thrown into its dramatic mix … a plot-centered play with plenty of narrative curves and some salacious crime details to chew upon.”

—Network Chicago“Crisp and compelling … Post’s play is full of twists and turns involving love affairs and alienated affection, precocious children and greed … It reminded me of Roman Polanski’s Chinatown.”

—Windy City Times“It’s not the simple story of a detective coming in, finding the corpse, and going about looking for the killer.

BLISSFIELD looks at the impact of urban renewal on an intimate level, and the emotional attachment we have to the places where we grew up.”

—Stagebill“Situational murder … Just when this black-and-white morality play seems cut-and-dried out, it takes a marvelous turn for the gray … We’re left with a far more disturbing reaction than a murder mystery elicits.”

—Chicago Free Press“Smart … skillful … it’s an edge-of-the-chair mystery that’s also a thoughtful, articulate drama.”

—Metromix