The Corpse Wore Pasties (Hard Case Crime) [Mass Market Paperback]

Jonny Porkpie (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hard Case Crime | Publication Date: December 2009

When a burlesque performer dies onstage during a show, the show's MC investigates, delving deep into the seedy and seductive world of bump-and-grind.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The self-styled burlesque mayor of New York City makes himself the hero of his entertaining hard-boiled debut. Suspected of murder after a striptease artist dies dramatically onstage, performer and emcee Porkpie—named for his trademark hat—sets out one kick-step ahead of the cops to find the real killer. It doesn't help that victim Victoria Vice was generally loathed for plagiarizing the distinctive acts of fellow ecdysiasts Cherries Jubilee, Jillian Knockers and Eva Desire. Much of the fun lies in Porkpie's witty and telling observations of life in the raunchy burlesque world, and the tone is more playful than pornographic despite plentiful references to sexual activity. Readers will enjoy the twists and action and hope for future Porkpie investigations. The book will be launched with a live burlesque show in New York City. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Author Porkpie, the self-proclaimed Burlesque Mayor of New York City, makes himself the star of this winsome first novel. Porkpie is NYPD’s prime suspect in the murder of Victoria Vice, a burlesque dancer known for plagiarizing other dancers’ acts. Jonny assumes that one of the other dancers on the program is the murderer, and he decides he must uncover the truth to avoid 25 years in prison. In the course of his investigation, he is chased, half-naked, across the Brooklyn Bridge by a heavy-metal band and finds himself hanging from chains, completely naked, in the dungeon of a dominatrix. He also offers knowing insights into the craft of burlesque; for example, to properly apply pasties, heat the adhesive—it makes them stick better. Porkpie’s style is diligently tongue-in-cheek, and it works. Fans of hard-boiled crime will enjoy this romp, and in an increasingly coarse popular culture, the inside look at burlesque seems, well, almost wholesome. --Thomas Gaughan

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 223 pages
• Publisher: Hard Case Crime (December 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0843961236
• ISBN-13: 978-0843961232
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,010,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Burlesque, March 16, 2010

By 

Jo Weldon "Headmistress of NYSB" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Corpse Wore Pasties (Hard Case Crime) (Mass Market Paperback)

As a member of the burlesque community that serves as the setting for this book, I can honestly (and in spite of my bias!) say that this is an authentic peek behind the scenes at the world of pasties and puns. The tone and the language roll like the script of an old burlesque number updated for current sensibilities--with retro flair, but still fresh and fun. It's a perfect mystery for an airplane or beach read!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Porkpie Does it Again! For the First Time!!!, November 25, 2009

By 

Ezra Fischer - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Corpse Wore Pasties (Hard Case Crime) (Mass Market Paperback)

Grab the book, go get an apple or some popcorn, and settle into a big, comfy armchair for an enjoyable 3 or 4 hours because if you're like me, once you pick it up, you'll be sorely tempted to finish it in the same sitting. Porkpie takes the classic American crime novel seriously enough to write one, but not so seriously that he doesn't subject it (and the readers, do our delight) to a series of high-spirited and low-brow puns and double-entendres. Titillating without being inappropriate, this book really would make a fine present for any lover of Chandler, Hammett, Stout, and Christie.

4.0 out of 5 stars Dig the Subculture, December 1, 2011

By 

Richard B. Schwartz (Columbia, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Corpse Wore Pasties (Hard Case Crime) (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a book that will be more interesting to devotees of burlesque than to devotees of crime fiction, though the latter will enjoy it. "Jonny Porkpie," the self-appointed Burlesque Mayor of NYC, has penned a Hard Case Crime novel. The plot is straightforward: a burlesque queen (or princess minus) has a bad habit of imitating other peoples' acts. Make that: stealing other peoples' acts. Her stolen act this time around involves the drinking of what appears to be poison. Unfortunately for her the poison turns out to be real. Since Jonny Porkpie (named for his favorite style of hat) was charged with the responsibility of handing her the prop he becomes the principal suspect in her murder case. Thus, he is forced to dodge the fuzz (make that: the cops) in order to investigate the case and bring the actual killer to justice.

The crime story is a tad thin and there are no shocking surprises. The strength of the book lies in the author's ability to evoke the world of burlesque--a quaint, arch, self-conscious world of puns, pasties and double entendres. The result is more cozy than crime fiction, since it takes place in an enclosed world which, in this case, also has strong retro- elements.

It's all good clean fun, less sexualized than daytime television, and a very competent first novel. Essentially it is what it attempts to be, not James Lee Burke, James Ellroy or Elmore Leonard, but a short, amusing look at a sweet, vaguely adolescent, vaguely adult subculture. Enjoy.