Catch a Falling Clown – Stuart Kaminsky

©1981 St. Martin’s, New York

Stuart Kaminsky follows up High Midnight with this Toby Peters adventure in which our ne’er-do-well hero finds himself returning to the small town of Mirador, California in search of a circus. Of course he isn’t welcome in the little town because of the last case that had him visiting—when he got on the grumpy side of the local law enforcement. They haven’t forgotten Mr. Peters and would just as soon he not have shown up again.

Toby’s problem is that he has yet another famous client. This one tied to the circus, namely Ringling Brothers’ famous clown Emmett Kelly (who performs as Willie). It seems that someone’s been trying to kill off the circus elephants in the off-season show that Kelly has hooked up with.

By the time Peters arrives, the targets are not only the elephants, but Kelly himself, and then the flying Tannuccis begin to fall victim to the murderous plot.

Kaminsky gives us another page-turning puzzle of an adventure. This time he includes cameo appearances by great director Alfred Hitchcock “doing research” for a possible film set on a circus lot. It’s interesting that when Hitchcock shows up, so do the accidents. Peters employs his regular team of misfit helpers to help him solve this mystery before he’s either dead or incarcerated.

Find a copy of this old story to enjoy over a cup of joe. (three and one-half reading glasses)

 

—Benjamin Potter, August 5, 2013

High Midnight – Stuart Kaminsky

©1981 St. Martin’s, New York

The great American film professor, Stuart Kaminsky (1934-2009), introduced readers to Toby Peters in his debut novel Bullet for a Star in 1977. High Midnight is the sixth outing for the Hollywood private investigator who reminds us of many of the hard-boiled detectives of earlier eras. (Personal note: it’s only my fifth Peters reading—anybody wants to send me an elusive copy of Never Cross a Vampire, I’d be glad to read it.)

Peters himself is an icon from days gone by, practicing his stock and trade in the 1940s. This time, he finds himself wrangled into a case working for none other than Gary Cooper. He’s roped into this one because the dentist from whom he sublets his office (“Sheldon P. Minck D.D.S., S.D./ ‘Dentist and Oral Surgeon’”) poses as Toby in order to meet some of the famous people that he is in the habit of working for. Someone is trying, so it seems, to force Cooper to make a B movie with a handful of B actors, a B director, but a pretty fair script.

Throw in a semi-retired Chicago mob boss, three dead bodies, and a hunting party with none other than Ernest ‘Papa’ Hemingway, and you have the makings for a first-rate mystery story. And, as you might have guessed, Kaminsky through the voice of Peters, delivers. In his methodical fashion, our hero works out the whys and wherefores of the murders, the attempted blackmail, and the (almost) identity theft a couple of steps ahead of the police. Just enough to keep himself from being indicted for the murders!

There are several things to enjoy about a good Toby Peters Mystery: fast pacing, historical references from news and newsreels, and super cameo appearances to compliment the staring roles of some of the greats in the heyday of the silver screen. From Hollywood vernacular, I give High Midnight a hearty thumbs up. For constant readers of these reviews, I attribute five out of five reading glasses.

—Benjamin Potter, March 21, 2011

The Howard Hughes Affair – Stuart Kaminsky

Stuart Kaminsky has been writing for years. One of his favorite series features 1940s LA private investigator, Toby Peters. The Howard Hughes Affair is the fourth in the series. In each story Toby meets and works with someone famous. This one is no different.

This time, Toby finds himself employed by the elusive (reclusive?) Howard Hughes. Hughes hosts a pre-War dinner gathering staged to raise support for the impending war effort and his own production of a plane he believes will end the war. He is afraid that one of the guests or servants present has stolen the plans. Working with one of the guests, Basil Rathbone (known by multitudes as Sherlock Holmes), to interview all those present in hopes to determine if Hughes’ fears are well-founded.

Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was also at the dinner party, but he has no knowledge of the theft. The German couple, as well as the German and Japanese servants seem to be innocent and guilty at the same time. On the eve of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Toby discovers the truth about the murder of two Germans and one drunken major in the Army Air Corps.

As with all good mystery series, Kaminsky includes intrigue and action. The one drawback for a reader like me is that the chapters are long. The story moves and closes with a glimpse of the next one to come.

If you like a good murder mystery, nostalgic settings and names from Hollywood’s heyday, you’ll love reading any of the Toby Peters mysteries. If you want the story broken up into bite-sized pieces, then read something else.

—Benjamin Potter, May 16, 2007