Customer Reviews

Nervous Laughter (Anderson Price Promo)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When I started to look at Emerson's reviews, I was startled that "Nervous Laughter" only got a "2 star" ranking. One reviewer obviously had something else in mind and probably didn't read the entire book. PI Thomas Black is following a rich man who is suspected of cheating on his wife. As he stakes out the site of the supposed tryst, he discovers that the rich man and his teenage lover are dead. Black must find out if it's murder or suicide. Earl Emerson is one of the best mystery writers working today. He paints a perfect picture of Seattle, and his 2 main characters, Thomas Black and Kathy Birchfield, are 2 of the most likeable characters in the mystery genre.

This was a nice book in the Thomas Black style. Nothing was a big shock. The story emerged with good pacing, wasn't totally predictable. I enjoyed it.

Mr. Darell Y. Hamamoto wrote a review that Mr. Black had copped the title from one of his book. The funny thing is that Mr. Emerson's book was written in 1986 and Mr. Hamamoto's was written in 1989. Seems like Mr. Hamamoto should make an apology to Mr.Emerson rather than the other way around. This a fine addition to the Thomas Black series.

Another in the fantastic Thomas Black series. Well written at a lively pace. Anyone who is not already hooked on Emerson's detective will be after this book.

In "Nervous Laughter" (a great title), private detective Thomas Black once again gets dragged into a case by his close friend, lawyer Kathy Birchfield. This time the case involves the death of one of her corporate clients, and found dead with him in his office is a teenage girl with whom it looks like he is having an affair. During the investigation, Thomas is distracted by the client's gorgeous widow and her slimy TV evangelist friend and comforter. Of course, it is all more complicated than it seems at first.

Overall, this is a reasonably "fun" mystery to read. I can't think of any great praise or censure for it. I will say the banter between Kathy and Thomas is occasionally off putting--being sophomoric and hokey at times. I also am finding that Emerson includes rather unrefined human behavior in describing his characters, eg, they might be picking their noses or digging wax out of their ears. I find this rather gross, and, in addition, unfair, as the beautiful people are all perfect and it is only the "lower-class" characters who are doing these things.

Finally, I would like to learn a little more about Thomas besides the fact he was a cop who left the department after killing a teenager who was trying to run him down with a car. Does he have a family--siblings, parents? Has he ever been in love? What does he eat for supper? Just a few more details would make him come more alive to the reader.

Not bad, but kind of adolescent. The author must think we won't keep reading if somebody doesn't die or the hero doesn't get beat up every few pages. And what is with his girlfriend? Almost everything she says and does is moronic or inappropriate. I have a long list of detectives with annoying girlfriends, but Kathy takes the cake.

The plot was pretty good -- well thought out, interesting, moved right along. And Thomas Black is a likable character. This was my first Earl Emerson book. I'll probably read more, but these books will be on my B-list.

Nervous Laughter is the third novel in Emerson's Thomas Black series, set in Seattle. Black is asked to follow Mark Daniels to find out if he is having an affair. When Black finds the lovers, they are dead, both Daniels and his teenage lover, Bea Hindenburg. The police rule it a murder-suicide, but Daniels' widow doesn't think so. Black finds quite a few suspects along the way in solving this case. Earl Emerson is one of the finest writers of mysteries today, and Nervous Laughter is one of the best of the series.

Yo, Mr. Earl. You copped the title of my book, NERVOUS LAUGHTER: TELEVISION SITUATION COMEDY AND LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC IDEOLOGY, published in 1989. So give me my propers.

Darrell Y. Hamamoto