A Comedian Dies [Audio Cassette]

Simon Brett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1987

Text for Author Bio: Simon Brett is a former radio and television comedy producer, who has been writing full-time for more than twenty years. Creator of the Charles Parks, Mrs. Pargeter and Feathering series of mysteries, his psychological thriller, A Shock to the System was filmed, starring Michael Caine. Married, with three children, he lives in an Agatha Christie-style village in West Sussex, England. A rising young stage comedian, who is about to receive his professions award as Most Promising Newcomer, dies sensationally on stage at the start of his act; as he picks up the mike, he is electrocuted. Faulty wiring seems to be the cause; no one persons to blame; a verdict of death by misadventure is returned at the inquest. But Simon Bretts actor/detective, Charles Paris, who has already solved some highly complex murders in Cast in Order of Disappearance, So Much Blood and An Amateur Corpse, happens to have been in the audience. And when another member of the cast reveals the comedian checked his equipment before the performance, Charles is launched on a further fascinating puzzle.Text for Review Box: "A witty tour of the showbiz undergrowth... instantly enjoyable." Guardian

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Frederick Davidson catches the perfect ironic and self-deprecating tone for Paris. Davidson's excellent portrayal of the classes of people found in the British television studio and vaudeville hall greatly contributes to the enjoyment of this mystery. --AudioFile --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

About the Author

Simon Brett is a former radio and television comedy producer, who has been writing full-time for more than twenty years. Creator of the Charles Paris, Mrs. Pargeter and Fethering series of mysteries, his psychological thriller, "A Shock to the System" was filmed, starring Michael Caine. Married, with three children, he lives in an Agatha Christie-style village in West Sussex, England. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: G K Hall Audio Books (June 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816196745
• ISBN-13: 978-0816196746
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An inside look at stage life, July 24, 2006

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Comedian Dies (Paperback)

Charles Paris, amateur detective, sets out to try to unmask a killer. A comedian is electrocuted by an improperly wired microphone. No one else thinks its murder, but Charles Paris knows it. The best thing about this book is the inside look at television and stage acting. It's like being in on the inside ot this fascinating world. The book is actually quite funny as well. I enjoyed it. It is definitely in the cosy genre.

4.0 out of 5 stars A Hit or Miss Amateur Sleuth, May 27, 2010

By 

John F. Rooney - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Comedian Dies (Paperback)

In "A Comedian Dies" Simon Brett again proves that within the mystery genre he is a master of characterization. In Lennie Barber he creates an incisive portrait of a comedian of the old vaudeville school who had once been a headliner in act called Barber and Pole. After Wilkie Pole's death, Lenny soldiered on alone often proving that he was a brilliant comedian who could gauge an audience's mood and deliver the goods even though he was no longer much of a commercial success. A producer wants to create the old Barber and Pole sketches for today's TV audiences so Charles Paris takes on the job of being Pole, the straight man (the feed) in the old act. Brett gives an insightful analysis of comedy as the book develops with many of the old-type jokes included.
As an amateur detective in this one Charles flails around picking one suspect after another for the electrocution murder of comedian Bill Peaky. The acerbic Peaky was disliked by everyone who knew him. In a Robert Barnard or Simon Brett British mystery it's almost a tradition that the murder victim is universally despised by the other characters in the story.
Charles in his detective chores spends a lot of time drinking, and he gets most of his information in bars and pubs. Charles is now fifty, and at the beginning has reconciled with his estranged wife Frances, but as usual the reconciliation only lasts a few days. He is still saddled with Maurice, the laziest talent agent in England. He uses his solicitor friend Gerald to help him in his snooping.
This book isn't as good as some other Brett outings because Charles goes through so many false starts interviewing and accusing one suspect after the other. The case is solved when he runs out of suspects. He's too much of a hit and miss sleuth in this one. What is insightful is the comedic battle of generations, the old vaudeville masters versus the slick TV personalities with their battery of writers.

4.0 out of 5 stars I guessed the killer right off, but that doesn't matter, September 30, 2008

By 

Genevieve Hayes (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Comedian Dies (Paperback)

While on holiday, second-rate actor Charles Paris witnesses the apparently accidental death of up and coming comedian Bill Peaky. However, after speaking with some of Peaky's "friends", Paris comes to suspect that Peaky's death was not an accident, but murder.

If you have read any of the other books in Simon Brett's Charles Paris series of mysteries, you will already know just how easy these mysteries are to solve. It is very unusual for me not to guess the killer in one of these books within the first 50 pages, and this book was no exception (as an aside, this is not the case for all of Brett's novels, and in fact, one of Brett's non-series books, "Dead Romantic", is an excellent example of a mystery, and it kept me guessing right to the end). However, you don't read Charles Paris novels for the mystery elements. The mystery is just there to provide a structure to another story of life in the entertainment industry, and that is where Brett's strength lies. Prior to becoming a novelist, Brett worked in the entertainment industry and his stories of what it is really like are both fascinating and hilarious. In this instalment, Brett writes about stand-up comedy and comedy variety shows. The book was written in 1979, so some of the references are a bit dated, but not so much that it matters. This is one of the better Charles Paris novels.