Columbo: The Grassy Knoll [Mass Market Paperback]

William Harrington (Author)

Book Description

Series: Columbo | Publication Date: July 15, 1994

After the murder of controversial talk-show host Paul Drury, Lieutenant Columbo must unravel the thirty-year-old mystery of the assassination of President Kennedy, a crime whose perpetrator Drury had been about to expose on his final show. Reprint. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

By closely following the formula of the winning TV series, this first Columbo book in hardcover is itself a winner. As in the series, the puzzle here is less about who commits the crime than how Columbo solves it. Powerful TV talk-show host Paul Drury is murdered by his ex-wife and her besotted lover, the show's producer. LAPD's Lt. Columbo gets the case and before long we're involved with TV business hustlers, Vegas mobsters, rich right-wing crazies, colorful supporting players and secrets involving sex, gambling and JFK's assassination. At the center, as slyly polite as ever, is the rumpled detective, with his raincoat and cigars, the old jalopy he loves, the offstage wife and family--and of course, the trademark phrase: "just one little thing. . . . " Even though the murderous ex-wife warns her accomplices that Columbo is "not as dumb as he looks. Not as dumb as he acts," they don't believe her until it's too late. Harrington ( For the Defense ) gets every note right and readers will find the action, including the assassination scenes, as vivid as anything on the tube--and without commercials. Readers will clamor for sequels.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Mystery novelist Harrington certainly isn't lacking in gimmickry in his latest offering: take a high-profile media star's murder, have it investigated by none other than LAPD's Lieutenant Columbo (of TV fame), and have the trail of death lead 30 years back in time to that age-old question, "Who shot JFK?" Controversial talk-show host Paul Drury's violent demise is the catalyst for these proceedings, and the facts that are going to be revealed on his upcoming program on the Kennedy assassination are the motivation for murder. Columbo bumbles through the mess in classic fashion, Harrington effectively capturing the annoyingly persistent cop's Peter Falk-inspired inflections and mannerisms. Strictly a commercial venture, this one, but Columbo fans and JFK assassination buffs will get a kick out of it. Martin Brady --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (July 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812530241
• ISBN-13: 978-0812530247
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,196,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Columbo Fans Will Not Be Disappointed, November 19, 2011

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jiffy - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Columbo: The Grassy Knoll (Mass Market Paperback)

I believe that Columbo is the best character in the history of television and I was delighted to learn that there is a mystery series with him as the leading character. The Grassy Knoll involves the murder of a talk show host/investigative reporter who made many enemies by exposing embarrassing and incriminating acts. One of the stories he was preparing involved new evidence concerning the assassination of President Kennedy, and this may or may not have been a motive for his murder. As in all Columbo episodes, we know whodunit and the question is where did he or she slip up and how will Lt. Columbo catch him or her. But in this book motive is also a mystery. We know who and how but we don't know why--not until the end, which also features an interesting fictional twist to the story of the assassination. I loved this book. The character of Columbo rang true to me and I'm sure his many fans will enjoy it as much as I did.

5.0 out of 5 stars Can;t get much better., April 27, 2011

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This review is from: Columbo: The Grassy Knoll (Mass Market Paperback)

i've read the other reviews but went and bought this book anyway. the book is great. it reads like the tv show, and could have been an episode. it actually gets into columbo's mindset more than a tv show could without that show becoming boring. i'm currently buying the other books in the series, and would recommend these to any fan of the dumb, devious cop. it's an awesome premise to stake columbo's wits against some of america's most baffling acts of society, and the way this first book unfolds, it's a story within a story. what else should it be?

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Columbo!, November 29, 2004

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Silas Sparkhammer "opinionated ain't I?" (San Diego CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Columbo: The Grassy Knoll (Hardcover)

The book successfully makes the jump from tv to novel. If you know Columbo (Peter Falk!) then you'll hear his voice throughout the book. If you don't, this is still a pretty good mystery novel, although, as a mystery per se, it is a little lacking. i.e., the Columbo tie-in makes this work, where it wouldn't really "click" on its own. Faint praise? No, because the tv tie-in really is the whole point here, and that part succeeds very well indeed.