Portland Laugher (Thomas Black Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Earl Emerson (Author)

Book Description

Series: Thomas Black Mysteries | Publication Date: August 30, 1995

"Emerson is carving his own special niche among a new generation of private-eye writers....He writes lean, muscular prose to carry his fast-moving action."
--The Washington Post Book World
A curious couple offers Seattle private eye Thomas Black a strange proposal: play guardian angel to an unlikely stalking victim named Billy Battle, a brooding ex-con with a psychotic history of unproven murder and mayhem. Hot on Billy's trail is the man who helped send him up the river, and who just may want Billy dead for his own peace of mind.
It's a case that puts Black in the hospital partially paralyzed, plagued with memory loss and a monstrous sense of doom. And when menacing phone calls from a maniacally laughing stranger begin to haunt Black, he can't help but wonder if the last, wicked laugh will be on him. (
"EMERSON'S BIGGEST, DARKEST NOVEL YET, a clangorous three-alarmer that'll leave you wound tighter than Billy Battle...Hair-raising."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Earl Emerson writes with the richness and grace of a poet. This guy is good, and THE PORTLAND LAUGHER is the best book yet in the Thomas Black series!"
--Robert Crais

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Romance and a series of murders and assaults stretching into the past command the attention of Seattle detective Thomas Black, last seen in Yellow Dog Party, in his engrossing fourth case. Black is overjoyed when asked by Mrs. Roxanne Lake to follow Philip Bacon, who is engaged to Kathy Birchfield, the lawyer whom Black loves. Bacon is trailing Billy Battle, an ex-con, and Mrs. Lake wants Black to make sure that the two men stay away from each other. Bacon, with vigilante justice on his mind, has bought a gun and is taking shooting lessons from Black's friend and associate Elmer "Snake" Slezak. While gleefully uncovering his rival's checkered past, Black realizes there's a mad killer on the loose who might be Billy Battle but could also be Philip Bacon-a killer responsible for the disappearance and death of a teenage girl years ago-and also, perhaps, for the murder of Mrs. Lake's last husband. Told in flashback by a badly injured Black as he tries to remember how he got in the hospital, the story features a superbly worked-out plot, a narrator with a likable voice and Emerson's clean, witty prose. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

After splendid success with his mysteries in paperback, Emerson graduates to hardcover with this tale involving his popular Seattle sleuth, Thomas Black.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 339 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (August 30, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345397827
• ISBN-13: 978-0345397829
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.5 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,021,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thomas Black is the perfect Northwest Detective, October 26, 2001

By 

Robert Louis Shaddy (Portland, Oregon United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Portland Laugher (Thomas Black Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

This was the first book I read by Earl Emerson. As a Portland resident and a Tacoma native I was able to identify with Emerson as he weaves his plot from Seattle to Portland. Thomas Black is the perfect character for this and the other books in the series. An ex-cop turned private investigator, Black has the feel of a Northwest detective. Living in the U Dub district in Seattle, Black is depicted as a down to earth guy trying to earn a living as a private detective. Emerson draws from his own knowledge of the Northwest as a Seattle firefighter and a Tacoma native in unraveling the plot. Many of the characters he creates are unique and present a great composite of Northwest life styles. A great read and terrific climax.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Mystery -- keeps you wondering "who done it?", October 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Portland Laugher (Thomas Black Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book in the Portland airport just before a flight back home. Usually I pick up a book for reading on a flight, and when done leave it for either the airline people or another passenger to pick it up -- but not this one. I was hooked from page one and when finished I kept it and loaned it out to others as a highly suggested read.

This was my first Emerson novel; what is interesting is how it shows that he (the author) had developed his ability to paint characters richly as well as handle plots with more dexterity than in his earlier novels, which I sought out to read after this one. I also have read books he's written since this one (except his latest, "Catfish Cafe"), and feel this is his best effort -- both in the Thomas Black series (this book features Thomas Black) and in the Mac Fontana series.

If you are an Emerson fan and haven't read this one, by all means read it. If you've not read any Emerson books yet, make this your first one. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intricate, clever, and disturbing. . ., July 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Portland Laugher (Thomas Black Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

In Portland Laugher, Emerson uses his cavalier style of writing to develop a sinister cast of characters caught in a fatal game of cat-and-mouse. But who's chasing whom?

More than a cleverly woven story, Portland Laugher intertwines its twisted plot with the bittersweet emotional complexities. On all fronts, this book kept me spellbound until its devastatingly brilliant conclusion.