Now You See It

by Stuart M. Kaminsky

Book Overview

Illusion gets more deadly than reality on Toby Peters's twenty-fourth outing from Edgar-winning author Stuart M. Kaminsky. A string of star-studded successes--most recently with Cary Grant in To Catch a Spy and an edgy Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierced--has won Tinseltown detective Toby Peters a bit of local celebrity, and that's something his new client, Harry Blackstone, understands. At the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, Blackstone is billed as...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786714239
• ISBN13: 9780786714230
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Publishers
• Length: 227 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable entry in reliable series

Stuart Kaminsky may be too versatile a writer for his own good .In an age of literary specialism he writes a great many different series-all in the crime genre-which range freely across settings ,eras and tones.From the Russian set and quite serious Rostnikov books ,to the Chicago scene of the Lieberrman books he seemingly can create a solid believable book in a wide variety of styles .This may prevent audiences from fully engaging with just one character . The Toby Peters books are my personal favourites mainly because of their setting -Hollywood in the "golden age"of the studio system -the 1930's and 1940's .They are relatively light in tone and see Peters enagaged in cases bringing him into contact with luminaries of the screen -and sometimes the literary world as well . The client this time around is the eminent magician Harry Blackstone who is being blackmailed during his run at an LA theatre,the Pantages .He is threatened with the disruption of his show unless he agrees to divulge the workings of his major illusions .He refuses and engages Peters and his ex-cop brother Phil to investigate . A seedy PI is murdered backstage at the theatre and a young showgirl shot and wounded .Suspicion at first falls on a dilettante magician ,Calvin Ott aka Marcus Keller who is no friend of Blackstone .However Keller is himself killed at a dinner at which Blackstone is present and the magician comes under suspicion .This is not the end of the deaths and events move swiftly to a rooftop climax at which the killer is revealed The usual supporting characters who help flesh out the series are present and correct here-Jeremy ,the poetic ex-wrestler ;the dapper midget Gunther and Toby's neighbour Shelly Minsk ,the incompetent dentist ,not to mention his malaprop spouting landlady Mrs Plaut -all fine comic creations .There is a larger than usual role for brother Phil this time -he is now a partner in the business and struggling to cope with bereavement and a heavier burden of parental responsibility.Movie star walk-ons are Cornel Wilde( dashing and intelligent) and Phil Silvers who if this portrait is accurate was a Bilko figure away from the camera as well The chapters are all preceded with an extract from a Blackstone radio show explaining how certain parlour style tricks are performed .In my view these are more irritating than enlightening but represent only a minor blemish on a very engaging novel

WHEN DOES THE NEXT ONE COME OUT!

Love the books, but it's almost 4 years since this one came out. When does the author plan to give us more Toby in book #25. I NEED MY FIX!

Magic in the Air

Being the 24th Toby Peters book of this series it could very well be the best that Stuart Kaminsky has written. Once again Peters is hired by a client but now there is an interesting twist...Peter is no longer alone. He has teamed up with his retired brother and together they have opened an investigation agency. However, the best thing about the Toby Peters' Mystery is still the famous actors that appear in them. I loved reading about how Cornel Wilde helped Peters' investigations and help solve the murders of a 'so-called' magician. If you love an investigator that is easily hurt and can't shoot straight then you will surely love this Toby Peters' Novel.

Another Toby Peters

Stuart Kaminsky has given his dependable Toby Peters mystery series a little twist, pairing his detective with his recently retired brother. The pairing definitely gives the series a spark, all without sacrificing any of the trademark wit or cleverness. Kaminsky's series is filled with interesting characters and this one is no exception; magician Harry Blackstone is the featured celebrity and he is put to good use. And, as always, Kaminsky makes excellent use of Los Angeles in the 1940s.

That Old Toby Peters Magic

"Now You See It" is the 24th volume in Kaminsky's always reliable Toby Peters series about a Hollywood P.I. who constantly finds himself on cases in the service of some of the most notable stars of that decade. True, the books are heavily formulaic, but it's a good formula and one that movie buffs and nostalgia freaks will always enjoy. If this latest entry has a flaw, it's that the celebrity du jour is one of Kaminsky's lesser entries. I bow to no one in my respect for the prestidigitorial skills of Harry Blackstone (whose work I saw on the old "Ed Sullivan" show) but, compared with people like Bogart, Cooper, Bette Davis, Groucho Marx and Eleanor Roosevelt, he is definitely minor league. Making up for this deficiency are the chapter headings which feature a series of easy-to-do tricks culled from (apparently) a Blackstone radio series. And, while we're on the subject of deficiencies, it would behoove Carrol & Graf, Kaminsky's publisher, to invest in a proofreader! Never have I seen so many typos in a published work by a "name" house! It don't cost that much, guys! Heck, for works of the quality of this one, I"LL do it for lunch money!