Dancing in the Dark [Hardcover]

Stuart M. Kaminsky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1996

In the nineteenth installment of a 1940s Hollywood detective series, Fred Astaire hires Toby Peters to help him get rid of an incredibly untalented dance student, whose tutelage he has been forced to undertake by her threatening mafioso boyfriend.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Even Fred Astaire can't dance his way out of trouble without help from Toby Peters, detective to the stars in wartime Hollywood. In Toby's 19th entertaining case (after Tomorrow is Another Day), mob moll Luna Martin wants dance lessons. Her boyfriend, nicknamed "Fingers" because he removes those of his enemies, invites the great dancer to instruct Luna?or suffer bodily harm. After Luna bats her eyelashes once too often at the star, however, a nervous Astaire, fearing wrathful Fingers, hires Toby to stand in. But Toby doesn't "know a tango from a funeral march." The disappointed Luna complains, but not for long; someone cuts her throat. As the bodies pile up, Toby also struggles with his ex-wife's decision to marry a B-movie actor and takes poundings from an enigmatic legbreaker named Kudlap Singh, formerly a professional wrestler known as the Beast of Bombay. Clues lead to a star-filled benefit at L.A.'s historic Wiltern Theatre, where danger lurks when Astaire takes the stage. As always in this engaging series, Edgar-winner Kaminsky effortlessly choreographs Hollywood history, colorful cast and dirty doings.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Tinseltown during wartime: coffee perking on the hot plate, mobsters and ritzy nightclubs. Enter series hero Toby Peters (e.g., Tomorrow Is Another Day, Audio Reviews, LJ 4/1/96), shamus to the stars, hired by Fred Astaire to keep Fingers Intaglia's floozy from insisting on private dance lessons. When the floozy is murdered at Peters's feet, Fingers decides he will let the private eye live if he can find the murderer, who may well be Astaire. The atmosphere of the Golden Age of Hollywood is brought to life through reader Eliot Kohen's performance of Kaminsky's prose. Kohen perfectly captures that world-weary, snappy dialog listeners associate with movies of the Forties. Words and action move along with assistance from some wonderful big band sounds of the era. This is great period atmosphere and entertainment. Suitable for all popular collections.?Barbara Valle, El Paso P.L., Tex.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Pr; First Edition edition (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892965282
• ISBN-13: 978-0892965281
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,771,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A NEW TOBY PETERS FAN!, June 12, 2000

By 

D. Eden (St. Pete, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing in the Dark (A Toby Peters mystery) (Paperback)

I found this book and series while doing an auction "online" search for movie star memorabilia. Typing in "Rita Hayworth" and "Betty Grable" brought up a list of all kinds of "goodies," among them a book called, "Dancing In The Dark." The auction write-up mentioned that Toby Peters, a 1940's Los Angeles Private Investigator for the stars, hoofs it onstage with these two Hollywood lovelies after taking dancing lessons from Fred Astaire. Well, that hooked me, so I bought this book! What a hoot! Toby is modeled after such classic hard-boiled gumshoes as Sam Spade & Philip Marlowe, but he has a heart of gold and his narratives are witty and funny. Fred Astaire turns out to be a "crime aficionado' and sounds like, uh - Fred Astaire! Mr. Kaminsky does such a marvelous job of bringing Astarie to life that you feel like you are "watching" him in the movies! The action takes place in 1943 during WW II and the descriptions of the place and times are very authentic and interesting. Any fan of the old "classic" movies of the 1940's will thoroughly enjoy this book - and the Toby Peters series!

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best, February 15, 2011

By 

drkhimxz (Freehold, NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing in the Dark: A Toby Peters Mystery (Audible Audio Edition)

Kaminsky has maintained one of the best records among top professionals writing series of detective stories. Toby Peters remains in the inner circle of appealing heroes for such series and the Hollywood/Los Angeles setting retains its vitality as a backdrop for the hero and supporting cast to play out their hands for the amusement of the large number of readers who look forward to each new entry. In this one, the girl friend of a leading LA gangster wants Fred Astaire to teach her dance routines that will insure her success in night clubs, on stage, and in the films. Astaire has other commitments. He hires Toby Peters to get him out the trouble. It is not an easy task. Trouble for Peters and Astaire makes for amusement for the rest of us.

In creating humorous detective stories, Kaminsky ranks with the best. This one should provide the expected entertainment for those committed to the series; newcomers should share in the fun without difficulty. It can be heard on the run or while seated in one's car or at home sunk deep into one's favorite lounge chair. Everyone should enjoy this visit to wartime LA in the company of a congenial cast of characters.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood during the war years, May 8, 2010

By 

Indian Prairie Public Library "ippl.info" (Darien, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dancing in the Dark (Hardcover)

Fred Astaire hires private investigator Toby Peters to teach an ex-mobster's girlfriend to dance. The problem is she wants only Fred Astaire as her instructor. When she is found dead, Fred and Toby search for her killer. The dead bodies pile up. Hollywood during the war years is the scene.