King and Joker [Hardcover]

Peter Dickinson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0816164347 | ISBN-13: 978-0816164349 | Publication Date: July 1977

The monarchy is not what it used to be. King Victor II may be the grandson of Queen Victoria, but political and economic realities have intruded even on Buckingham Palace, where family breakfasts center on proposals for tightening the household budget and the King, a licensed physician, fumes at Parliament's refusal to permit him to practice medicine for fear of lawsuits. Nor has royal dignity been spared. A practical joker has invaded the palace, but his tricks, initially amusing, have turned deadly, and seem increasingly to be focused on the teenage Princess Louise. The trickster, it seems clear, wants her to divulge some secret to the Greater British Public, but which one?

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Triumphantly touching, with genuinely interesting characters. . . exceptional" -- Newsweek

"Wry, witty, and irresistible" -- Financial Times (UK) Financial Times (UK) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Author of more than 50 novels, Mr. Dickinson has won 16 awards for his books, and has twice been nominated for Edgar awards. Several of Mr. Dickinson’s books, including King and Joker, appear on lists of the Best Mysteries of the 20th Century. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 423 pages
• Publisher: G K Hall & Co (July 1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816164347
• ISBN-13: 978-0816164349
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,155,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Royal Family Soap Opera, June 29, 2000

By 

Michael E. Labuhn (Washington, Mi United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: King & Joker (Paperback)

This alternative history mystery is as charming as page turning. Taking place in the present, a different royal family (Prince Edward Victor didn't die in the 1890's and leave his fiance free to marry his brother George to later become George V and Mary)is presented with a problem. Someone is killing courtiers and knows a long hidden royal secret. The tale, told by the kings' daughter, is a clever story of celebrity. love, and danger. This is thorougly recommended. It is followed by a sequeal.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Royal pain, September 20, 2009

By 

Blue in Washington "Barry Ballow" (Washington, DC United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: King and Joker (Paperback)

Interesting idea for a history/mystery -- a contemporary British royal family (not the current Windsor bunch) with a big secret that sets off a spiral of practical jokes, ending in murder. The story is narrated by a precocious 13-year Princess Royal, who is also the principal sleuth and mystery-solver.

This novel has its moments, but mostly it sputters along without much edge to it and with a lack of real depth to the characters involved. When the murder mystery is finally solved, the perpetrator'(s) motivations are far from convincing. In fact, they are not even very interesting.

"King and Joker" is one of the "archival" mysteries resurrected by Felony and Mayhem Publishers which has generally brought back to the market some terrific novels by first-rate writers. This title is one of their occasional flops, in my opinion.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Read the Sequel, December 3, 2009

By 

A Reader from "A Reader from" (Annandale, VA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: King and Joker (Hardcover)

I looked around to find King and Joker because I had so much enjoyed the sequel, Skeleton-in-Waiting. I was disappointed with it and agree with another reviewer that it is slow-moving and rather unconvincing, motivation-wise. If you can find Skeleton, I think you'll prefer it to the first mystery.