Customer Reviews

Now You See It: A Toby Peters Mystery

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"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!

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.

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!

Most people will know by now that this was the last of the Toby Peters books, since Stuart Kaminsky died in 2009, and I for one am sad about that. The books were always about the journey rather than the destination, the familiar characters doing their familiarly crazy things, the star whose presence is really more of a sidenote than anything, the 1940s Hollywood backdrop. In this book, I think Kaminsky managed to create (or reflect) his most likeable 'star' in Harry Blackstone, and that, combined with the unusually happy status of the main characters as other reviewers have noted (including, as well, Phil's clearly growing affinity with his deceased wife's sister), makes this a book that ends with a smile. I do wish there had been more books, to see how the characters developed further, but maybe this is the best way to end - a hint at the future and an enjoyment of the moment.

After 24 books in this series, I can't help but think this could be the last one. At the very least, I think the author might be undecided about this and wrote a book that could stand as the wrap-up novel.
Hints:
1. Brother Phil starts to act more like a brother than a cop-hoodlum. In fact he joins Toby in his PI agency! Who'da thunk it?
2. Incompetent dentist Sheldon Minck pulls off maybe the best bit of magic in the book when he successfully handles an agonizing tooth ache that threatens to sideline Toby. After 23 books of patients enduring pain and suffering at Minck's hands, to say the least it seems like a miracle to everybody who knows the dentist's work.
3. Toby's best friend, and midget, Gunther Wherthman may have a girlfriend to join him in a happy future. I may be putting too much into a luncheon date with a pretty magician's helper, but if this is a book of happy endings, it makes sense.
4. And Toby himself seems to have a possible soulmate in Anita, a waitress at a local dinner.
The book itself centers around magician Harry Blackstone, and, to a lesser degree, Cornell Wilde, as a jealous rival tries to make Blackstone's final days on earth miserable. I hope I'm wrong about this possibly being the final Toby Peters mystery. They are formula books, true, but as "light mysteries" they are entertaining as all heck.

Stuart Kaminsky may be too versatile a writer for his own good .In an age of literary specialism he writes a great many different series-all in the crime genre-which range freely across settings ,eras and tones.From the Russian set and quite serious Rostnikov books ,to the Chicago scene of the Lieberrman books he seemingly can create a solid believable book in a wide variety of styles .This may prevent audiences from fully engaging with just one character .
The Toby Peters books are my personal favourites mainly because of their setting -Hollywood in the "golden age"of the studio system -the 1930's and 1940's .They are relatively light in tone and see Peters enagaged in cases bringing him into contact with luminaries of the screen -and sometimes the literary world as well .

The client this time around is the eminent magician Harry Blackstone who is being blackmailed during his run at an LA theatre,the Pantages .He is threatened with the disruption of his show unless he agrees to divulge the workings of his major illusions .He refuses and engages Peters and his ex-cop brother Phil to investigate .
A seedy PI is murdered backstage at the theatre and a young showgirl shot and wounded .Suspicion at first falls on a dilettante magician ,Calvin Ott aka Marcus Keller who is no friend of Blackstone .However Keller is himself killed at a dinner at which Blackstone is present and the magician comes under suspicion .This is not the end of the deaths and events move swiftly to a rooftop climax at which the killer is revealed

The usual supporting characters who help flesh out the series are present and correct here-Jeremy ,the poetic ex-wrestler ;the dapper midget Gunther and Toby's neighbour Shelly Minsk ,the incompetent dentist ,not to mention his malaprop spouting landlady Mrs Plaut -all fine comic creations .There is a larger than usual role for brother Phil this time -he is now a partner in the business and struggling to cope with bereavement and a heavier burden of parental responsibility.Movie star walk-ons are Cornel Wilde( dashing and intelligent) and Phil Silvers who if this portrait is accurate was a Bilko figure away from the camera as well
The chapters are all preceded with an extract from a Blackstone radio show explaining how certain parlour style tricks are performed .In my view these are more irritating than enlightening but represent only a minor blemish on a very engaging novel

Stuart Kaminsky has given his dependable Toby Peters mystery series a little twist, pairing his detective with his recently retired brother. The pairing definitely gives the series a spark, all without sacrificing any of the trademark wit or cleverness. Kaminsky's series is filled with interesting characters and this one is no exception; magician Harry Blackstone is the featured celebrity and he is put to good use. And, as always, Kaminsky makes excellent use of Los Angeles in the 1940s.