Now You See It: A Toby Peters Mystery [Hardcover]

Stuart M. Kaminsky (Author)

Book Description

Series: Otto Penzler Books | Publication Date: October 17, 2004

Illusion gets more deadly than reality on Toby Peters's twenty-fourth outing from Edgar-winning author Stuart M. Kaminsky. A string of star-studded successes—most recently with Cary Grant in To Catch a Spy and an edgy Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierced—has won Tinseltown detective Toby Peters a bit of local celebrity, and that's something his new client, Harry Blackstone, understands. At the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles, Blackstone is billed as the World's Greatest Living Magician. Of course, should the giant buzz saw in the climax to Blackstone's act cut the beautiful young woman in fact in half, his sterling reputation would be ruined. And someone among the Los Angeles Friends of Magic is decidedly intent upon ruining it—whatever the price, including the life of Toby's prime suspect. Unfortunately, with the corpse count mounting, the evidence is pointing increasingly to Toby's client as the man behind the murders. As always, adding to the wackiness of Toby's investigation are the ungentle dentist Sheldon Minck, wrestler-poet Jeremy Butler, the suave, small-statured Swiss multilingualist Gunter Wherthman, and daffy Mrs. Plaut. But to solve the case, Toby finds he needs someone else—the dashing star of the movie A Thousand and One Nights, Cornel Wilde.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The storytelling formula Stuart M. Kaminsky employs in his madcap mysteries featuring low-rent, World War II-era Los Angeles private eye Toby Peters has proved remarkably successful over more than a quarter century. Each entry in this series (beginning with 1977's Bullet for a Star) finds Toby taking on a celebrity client; being beaten silly at least once during the ensuing investigation; contending with a supporting cast of misfits ever eager to supply ludicrous asides; and eventually, despite meager expectations of his genius, unearthing clues enough to expose a murderer. Yet even with all those familiar ingredients in place, Now You See It, the 24th Peters tale, doesn't capture the magic of its recent predecessors.

Which is ironic, since this yarn is all about magic. Toby, now pushing 50 and freshly partnered with his brother, choleric ex-homicide cop Phil Pevsner, is hired in June 1944 to protect "the world’s greatest living magician," Harry Blackstone. It appears that a wealthy but demented rival, "third-rate parlor magician" Calvin Ott, intends to ruin Blackstone's reputation while simultaneously enhancing his own. However, his process of humiliation seems more than a tad extreme, involving not only slaying a seedy PI during Blackstone's buzz-sawing-the-girl-in-half illusion, but also shooting the deceased's "tiger lady" girlfriend. Prepared to curb Ott's scheme, Toby is surprised when Ott himself is done in--knifed in the back of the neck during a formal reception in Blackstone's honor, with more than five dozen witnesses unable to identify the perpetrator. Quite a trick, especially as it leaves Blackstone with means and motive for committing the crime. In order to save the white-maned prestidigitator, Toby must find a phony waiter and a phonier turbaned gunman, stomach punchlines from comic Phil Silvers, enlist the swashbuckling talents of leading man Cornel Wilde, and--riskiest of all--submit to the oral ministrations of his pal Shelly Minck, "the devil’s dentist."

There's a swell twist closing out this book, which proves once again the devious desirability of misdirection. And Kaminsky's decision to begin his chapters with excerpts from the old Blackstone, The Magic Detective radio show enhances both his tale's theme and its period flavor. At the same time, though, the formula of this series is strangely underaffected by Toby and Phil's new business relationship, and a swordplay scene, while entertaining, is gratuitous and unbelievable. Following two celebrated Peters outings, To Catch a Spy and Mildred Pierced, Now You See It conjures up comparatively little novelty. Kaminsky may have to pull a rabbit out of his hat next time to stay on top. --J. Kingston Pierce

From Publishers Weekly

When PI Toby Peters answers the bell for the 24th time, his footwork is as nimble as ever, even if the dance will be familiar to fans of Kaminsky's Hollywood historical series. The celebrity-friendly detective has aided every kind of star from Errol Flynn in the first book (Bullet for a Star) to Joan Crawford in the most recent (Mildred Pierced). Toby often earns gratitude, frequently reaps scars and bruises, but never garners the kind of riches likely to change his boarding-house lifestyle. As WWII appears headed for a close, the great magician Harry Blackstone, who's been challenged and (apparently) threatened by a third-rate competitor, approaches Toby. Now teamed up with his brother, Phil, Toby undertakes to protect and unmask Blackstone's nemesis. Kaminsky makes an art of interjecting bits and pieces of period color, from Toby's dilapidated Crosley auto to 1940s songs or jingles. The running madcap humor includes landlady Irene Plaut's endless memoirs and dentist Shelly Minck's wacky inventions. Murder transforms Blackstone from magician to suspect and leaves him holding the bag, with predictably enjoyable results. Intriguing but simple magic tricks borrowed from Blackstone: The Magic Detective radio show serve as clever chapter lead-ins.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf; First Edition edition (October 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786714239
• ISBN-13: 978-0786714230
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,948 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars That Old Toby Peters Magic, October 9, 2004

By 

S. Berner (Cocoa, Fl USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Now You See It: A Toby Peters Mystery (Hardcover)

"Now You See It" is the 24th volume in Kaminsky's always reliable Toby Peters series about a Hollywood P.I. who constantly finds himself on cases in the service of some of the most notable stars of that decade. True, the books are heavily formulaic, but it's a good formula and one that movie buffs and nostalgia freaks will always enjoy. If this latest entry has a flaw, it's that the celebrity du jour is one of Kaminsky's lesser entries. I bow to no one in my respect for the prestidigitorial skills of Harry Blackstone (whose work I saw on the old "Ed Sullivan" show) but, compared with people like Bogart, Cooper, Bette Davis, Groucho Marx and Eleanor Roosevelt, he is definitely minor league. Making up for this deficiency are the chapter headings which feature a series of easy-to-do tricks culled from (apparently) a Blackstone radio series. And, while we're on the subject of deficiencies, it would behoove Carrol & Graf, Kaminsky's publisher, to invest in a proofreader! Never have I seen so many typos in a published work by a "name" house! It don't cost that much, guys! Heck, for works of the quality of this one, I"LL do it for lunch money!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic in the Air, January 23, 2006

By 

Daniel Pollacchi (Western Australia, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Now You See It: A Toby Peters Mystery (Hardcover)

Being the 24th Toby Peters book of this series it could very well be the best that Stuart Kaminsky has written.

Once again Peters is hired by a client but now there is an interesting twist...Peter is no longer alone. He has teamed up with his retired brother and together they have opened an investigation agency.

However, the best thing about the Toby Peters' Mystery is still the famous actors that appear in them. I loved reading about how Cornel Wilde helped Peters' investigations and help solve the murders of a 'so-called' magician.

If you love an investigator that is easily hurt and can't shoot straight then you will surely love this Toby Peters' Novel.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WHEN DOES THE NEXT ONE COME OUT!, May 2, 2006

By 

Philly (Philadelphia, PA United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Now You See It: A Toby Peters Mystery (Hardcover)

Love the books, but it's almost 4 years since this one came out. When does the author plan to give us more Toby in book #25. I NEED MY FIX!