Catch a Falling Clown

by Stuart M. Kaminsky Narrated by Jim Meskimen

Overview

A hard-boiled Hollywood PI has to work without a net to save Emmett Kelly from a killer who's not clowning around: "Nostalgic fun" (Publishers Weekly).



In February 1942, Californians may be living in fear of a Japanese attack, but the show must go on. The circus is in town-unfortunately so is a killer saboteur who's targeting the star attractions. Private detective Toby Peters is no stranger to going undercover, but this is the first time his disguise will include a red nose.



The killer has already electrocuted an elephant, and hobo clown Emmett Kelly has had a close brush with death. The second-rate circus in this sleepy coastal town seems like another world from Peters's usual Hollywood beat, but of all people, Alfred Hitchcock, the director of Suspicion, is under suspicion. With the investigation on the verge of becoming a three-ring circus, it's up to Toby Peters to cage the killer before anyone else meets a bad end under the big top.



Edgar Award winner Stuart M. Kaminsky's "Toby Peters series [is] a delight . . . Written with more than a dash of humor" and this big-top murder mystery is a "fun, lightweight book for all mystery fans" (Library Journal).

Editorial Reviews

Library Journal

Blackstone Audio deserves a round of applause for bringing back to life a series of Kaminsky's mysteries written in the 1970s and early 1980s. Although the author has moved on to darker and more convoluted plots in his more recent books, his Toby Peters series was a delight. They were written with more than a dash of humor and featured a variety of improbable real-life characters, ranging from the Marx Brothers to Judy Garland and - in this circus murder mystery - famed clown Emmett Kelly. Just for fun, Alfred Hitchcock also shows up...as a suspect! Someone is wreaking havoc on a small circus; an elephant has been killed, and Kelly narrowly escapes death. Toby reluctantly revisits the town of Mirador where he had a previous run-in with a corrupt sheriff and his violent deputy. In short order, Toby finds himself standing over another dead body, almost gets trampled by yet another elephant, and winds up locked in a cage with a killer gorilla. Reader Tom Parker is an absolute master of voices - his police chief sounds like Strother Martin on Ecstasy - and brings the circus scene to life. A fun, light-weight book for all mystery fans. Recommended for all libraries. - Joseph L. Carlson, Lompoc P.L., CA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

AudioFile

Reader Tom Parker provides distinct vocal characterizations but resists exaggeration—an impressive feat given the menagerie of personalities ranging from dwarf actor to giant wrestler…Parker’s pace and articulation are perfect, allowing the listener to become immersed in the wacky story and glimpse the clown’s thrill at making people laugh.”

Kliatt

Parker is a master of accents, dialects and nuances that range from a midget’s squeak to a giant’s roar with every nationality and personality type in between. His voice for Toby Peters has just the right mixture of ’40s private eye world-weariness and anticipation. An entertaining romp.”

Audioworld

Fun and fresh. Actor Tom Parker makes this pulpiest fiction swing.”

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175988070
Publisher:	HighBridge Company
Publication date:	07/20/2021
Series:	Toby Peters Series , #7
Edition description:	Unabridged

Videos