Murder by the Book

Top 10 Billed Cast

Robert Hays
Robert Hays

D.H. 'Hank' Mercer / Biff Deegan

Catherine Mary Stewart
Catherine Mary Stewart

Marissa

Christopher Murney
Christopher Murney

Lt. Greenberg

Fred Gwynne
Fred Gwynne

Victor Greville

Celeste Holm
Celeste Holm

Claire

Jonathan Moore
Jonathan Moore

Nicholas Rubinstein

Martin Neufeld
Martin Neufeld

Pete

Michael Copeman
Michael Copeman

Bunty Webb
Bunty Webb

Eric Keenleyside
Eric Keenleyside

Loading Trailer Videos...
  • HomePage

  • Overview

    Mild-mannered mystery writer D. H. Mercer has become so immersed in his material that his creation, hard-boiled private eye Biff Deegan, constantly appears to him as a hallucination. Intent on getting rid of Biff, and replacing him with a more civilized detective, Mercer soon finds himself in a genuine mystery involving art fraud, murder, and a beautiful lady in peril.

  • Release Date

    1987-03-17

  • Average

    5.9

  • Rating:

    3.0 starts
  • Tagline

  • Genres

  • Languages:

    English
  • Keywords

Similar Movies

Wonder Boys
68%

Wonder Boys(en)

2000-02-22

Grady is a 50-ish English professor who hasn't had a thing published in years—not since he wrote his award winning 'Great American Novel' 7 years ago. This weekend proves even worse than he could imagine as he finds himself reeling from one misadventure to another in the company of a new wonder boy author.

The Seven Year Itch
71%

The Seven Year Itch(en)

1955-06-03

When his family goes away for summer vacation, a hitherto faithful publishing executive with an overactive imagination is tempted by an attractive new neighbor.

The Squid and the Whale
69%

The Squid and the Whale(en)

2005-10-05

Based on the true childhood experiences of Noah Baumbach and his brother, The Squid and the Whale tells the touching story of two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

Riding in Cars with Boys
67%

Riding in Cars with Boys(en)

2001-10-19

In 1965, a young woman with dreams of becoming a writer has a son at the age of 15 and struggles to make things work with the drug-addicted father.

Léolo
71%

Léolo(fr)

1992-09-16

The story of an imaginative boy who pretends he is the child of a sperm-laden Sicilian tomato upon which his mother accidentally fell.

She-Devil
60%

She-Devil(en)

1989-12-08

A cunning and resourceful housewife vows revenge on her husband when he begins an affair with a wealthy romance novelist.

The World According to Garp
67%

The World According to Garp(en)

1982-07-23

A struggling young writer finds his life and work dominated by his unfaithful wife and his radical feminist mother, whose best-selling manifesto turns her into a cultural icon.

Dressed to Kill
70%

Dressed to Kill(en)

1980-07-25

After witnessing a mysterious woman brutally slay a homemaker, prostitute Liz Blake finds herself trapped in a dangerous situation. While the police thinks she is the murderer, the real killer is intent on silencing her only witness.

Lucky Break
44%

Lucky Break(en)

1994-10-20

Sophie, a writer of racy romance novels, is working on one of her stories in the library, when Eddie overhears her. Sophie, embarrassed by her paralyzed leg from childhood polio, spurns his advances, but when Sophie breaks her leg, she has the perfect way of hiding her disability from Eddie. As Sophie struggles to win over Eddie and hide her disability, Eddie's jealous fiance and a police officer investigating a jewel heist threaten their relationship.

Mr. Brooks
69%

Mr. Brooks(en)

2007-05-31

A psychological thriller about a man who is sometimes controlled by his murder-and-mayhem-loving alter ego.

Duel
74%

Duel(en)

1971-11-13

Traveling businessman David Mann angers the driver of a rusty tanker while crossing the California desert. A simple trip turns deadly, as Mann struggles to stay on the road while the tanker plays cat and mouse with his life.

The Shining
82%

The Shining(en)

1980-05-23

Jack Torrance accepts a caretaker job at the Overlook Hotel, where he, along with his wife Wendy and their son Danny, must live isolated from the rest of the world for the winter. But they aren't prepared for the madness that lurks within.

The Lonesome Room
0%

The Lonesome Room(en)

2021-12-11

A fairly prolific young writer struggling for her next story is drugged and wakes up tied to a chair in a room ripped right out of one of her more horrifying books, with no foreseeable way out.

Bad Date Chronicles
62%

Bad Date Chronicles(en)

2017-07-01

Leigh runs the website "Bad Date Chronicles," which allows people to anonymously post horrible date experiences. When rival blogger Conner becomes the subject of one of her posts, they agree to date each other to see which one is the "bad dater."

Hannah and Her Sisters
75%

Hannah and Her Sisters(en)

1986-02-07

Between two Thanksgivings, Hannah's husband falls in love with her sister Lee, while her hypochondriac ex-husband rekindles his relationship with her sister Holly.

The Front
70%

The Front(en)

1976-09-17

A cashier poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.

Trick
69%

Trick(en)

1999-07-23

Gabriel is a young, aspiring musical composer whose life seems stuck in the First Act. When his new musical number gets a critical reception, a theatre colleague, Perry, tells Gabriel that he needs to get a life before he can write about one – so he heads straight for his local gay bar.

Naked Lunch
70%

Naked Lunch(en)

1991-12-27

Blank-faced bug killer Bill Lee and his dead-eyed wife, Joan, like to get high on Bill's pest poisons while lounging with Beat poet pals. After meeting the devilish Dr. Benway, Bill gets a drug made from a centipede. Upon indulging, he accidentally kills Joan, takes orders from his typewriter-turned-cockroach, ends up in a constantly mutating Mediterranean city and learns that his hip friends have published his work -- which he doesn't remember writing.

Le Pion
63%

Le Pion(fr)

1978-10-25

Humiliated and down on his luck, a superintendent turns his life around when he decides to write a book.

Kafka
64%

Kafka(en)

1991-11-15

After a colleague is murdered, insurance worker Kafka gets embroiled in an underground group who are attempting to thwart a secret organization that controls the major events in society.

Recommendations Movies

Trading Places
72%

Trading Places(en)

1983-06-07

A snobbish investor and a wily street con-artist find their positions reversed as part of a bet by two callous millionaires.

Titanic
79%

Titanic(en)

1997-12-18

101-year-old Rose DeWitt Bukater tells the story of her life aboard the Titanic, 84 years later. A young Rose boards the ship with her mother and fiancé. Meanwhile, Jack Dawson and Fabrizio De Rossi win third-class tickets aboard the ship. Rose tells the whole story from Titanic's departure through to its death—on its first and last voyage—on April 15, 1912.

Batman Begins
77%

Batman Begins(en)

2005-06-10

Driven by tragedy, billionaire Bruce Wayne dedicates his life to uncovering and defeating the corruption that plagues his home, Gotham City. Unable to work within the system, he instead creates a new identity, a symbol of fear for the criminal underworld - The Batman.

The Breakfast Club
77%

The Breakfast Club(en)

1985-02-15

Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently -- and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
85%

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King(en)

2003-12-17

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.​

Back to the Future
83%

Back to the Future(en)

1985-07-03

Eighties teenager Marty McFly is accidentally sent back in time to 1955, inadvertently disrupting his parents' first meeting and attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by rekindling his parents' romance and - with the help of his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown - return to 1985.

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
74%

Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood(en)

2019-07-24

Los Angeles, 1969. TV star Rick Dalton, a struggling actor specializing in westerns, and stuntman Cliff Booth, his best friend, try to survive in a constantly changing movie industry. Dalton is the neighbor of the young and promising actress and model Sharon Tate, who has just married the prestigious Polish director Roman Polanski…

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
62%

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen(en)

2009-06-19

Sam Witwicky leaves the Autobots behind for a normal life. But when his mind is filled with cryptic symbols, the Decepticons target him and he is dragged back into the Transformers' war.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians
72%

One Hundred and One Dalmatians(en)

1961-01-25

When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.

Inside Out
79%

Inside Out(en)

2015-06-17

When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.

The Mask
70%

The Mask(en)

1994-07-29

Stanley Ipkiss, an insecure banker who has lost his zest for life stumbles upon an ancient mask, that turns him into a confident suave cartoon-like character who upsets his ordinary life.

The Hangover
73%

The Hangover(en)

2009-06-02

When three friends finally come to after a raucous night of bachelor-party revelry, they find a baby in the closet and a tiger in the bathroom. But they can't seem to locate their best friend, Doug – who's supposed to be tying the knot. Launching a frantic search for Doug, the trio perseveres through a nasty hangover to try to make it to the church on time.

Despicable Me 2
69%

Despicable Me 2(en)

2013-06-26

Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.

8 Mile
71%

8 Mile(en)

2002-11-08

For Jimmy Smith, Jr., life is a daily fight just to keep hope alive. Feeding his dreams in Detroit's vibrant music scene, Jimmy wages an extraordinary personal struggle to find his own voice - and earn a place in a world where rhymes rule, legends are born and every moment… is another chance.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
80%

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(en)

2004-05-31

Year three at Hogwarts means new fun and challenges as Harry learns the delicate art of approaching a Hippogriff, transforming shape-shifting Boggarts into hilarity and even turning back time. But the term also brings danger: soul-sucking Dementors hover over the school, an ally of the accursed He-Who-Cannot-Be-Named lurks within the castle walls, and fearsome wizard Sirius Black escapes Azkaban. And Harry will confront them all.

Rush
77%

Rush(en)

2013-09-02

In the 1970s, a rivalry propels race car drivers Niki Lauda and James Hunt to fame and glory — until a horrible accident threatens to end it all.

Life of Pi
74%

Life of Pi(en)

2012-11-20

The story of an Indian boy named Pi, a zookeeper's son who finds himself in the company of a hyena, zebra, orangutan, and a Bengal tiger after a shipwreck sets them adrift in the Pacific Ocean.

Up
80%

Up(en)

2009-05-28

Carl Fredricksen spent his entire life dreaming of exploring the globe and experiencing life to its fullest. But at age 78, life seems to have passed him by, until a twist of fate (and a persistent 8-year old Wilderness Explorer named Russell) gives him a new lease on life.

Joker
81%

Joker(en)

2019-10-01

During the 1980s, a failed stand-up comedian is driven insane and turns to a life of crime and chaos in Gotham City while becoming an infamous psychopathic crime figure.

The Hangover Part III
62%

The Hangover Part III(en)

2013-05-23

This time, there's no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.