Saratoga Fleshpot: A Charlie Bradshaw Mystery (Paperback)

by Stephen Dobyns (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
No, this isn't a racy view of the racing city-simply the name of the horse at the center of Dobyns's lively new entry (following Saratoga Backtalk) in his series about laid-back Saratoga detective Charlie Bradshaw and his impossible sidekick, Vic Plotz. Fleshpot has been sold for more than half a million in the annual August horse sales, despite his tendency to nip people in the backside; Plotz, noticing after the sale that the horse no longer nips, wonders if a switch has been pulled. This observation puts him in trouble with the devious folk behind the switch, and since the powers that be in the city have never been fond of Plotz, his troubles soon accumulate. It takes three murders, a hilarious horsenapping (Fleshpot is stashed in the bridal suite of a hotel closed for the season) and a wing-ding climax at a parade honoring Saratoga's retiring police chief-another Plotz archenemy-before things are set to rights, more or less. Slow out of the gate but soon gaining pace, this tale stars Plotz, poet Dobyns's witty narrator: "The Saratoga Republicans had gone to bed early in order to build up the energy to grind it to the poor the next day... The few lights we passed probably belonged to Democrats, staring sullenly into their whisky glasses and wondering where the thrill had gone."
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal
Charlie Bradshaw returns in his ninth mystery, which is set (as always) at the Saratoga racetrack and features a short-tempered racehorse named Fleshpot.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140255354
• ISBN-13: 978-0140255355
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #327,651 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Dobyn's Best, February 24, 2005

By	C. Schaefer (Stafford Springs, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Saratoga Fleshpot: A Charlie Bradshaw Mystery (Hardcover)

Fleshpot is one of Dobyn's best books! It is narrated by Victor Plotz (call me Vic) - who is much funnier than Charlie Bradshaw (Dobyn's main character in the Saratoga books). Vic is a funny, wise-cracking kinda guy and his adventures kept me amused and interested. If you haven't read Dobyn yet - read Fleshpot - and if you are a Dobyn fan, you've probably already read it - and enjoyed it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very improbable, Totally fun!, March 6, 2001

By	Chris Engst (Richford, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Saratoga Fleshpot (Audio Cassette)

Murder writers seem to need to have multiple murders and danger for main characters at end. This is no exception, but the main characters are so irreverent and so much fun that one can laugh at the genre while enjoying twists and turns. Setting in Saratoga works; this book is much better than "Saratoga Haunting" by same author.