To Play the Fool (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The second installment in her series featuring San Francisco police detective Kate Martinelli, King's latest mystery concerns the murder of a homeless man in Golden Gate Park.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

San Francisco detective Kate Martinelli strays from the stereotypical path of policewoman. As an openly lesbian and much-publicized heroine, Kate returns to her job facing a difficult case: street person Brother Erasmus, suspect in the murder of a homeless man, communicates entirely by way of literary quotations. The author presents her homeless characters with honesty and compassion, much in the way she describes the relationship between Kate and her lover or her police partner, Al. A fitting and well-done sequel to the award-winning A Grave Talent (LJ 1/93).
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: 320 pages
• Publisher: Crimeline; 1st THUS edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553574558
• ISBN-13: 978-0553574555
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #306,143 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, more of a novel than a mystery, October 2, 2000

By	"julies_27" (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

For those of you who have read all of the Mary Russell books by King, you might be pleasantly surprised that she writes other, more modern books. For those of you who live in the SF Bay area, you will also be excited by the locations that are described in this book. I had read many of Laurie King's other books before reading this one and I will say that it was one of the most interesting and best written. The novel is based on the mystery surrounding the murder of a homeless man, but the story actually told is of Brother Erasmus, a Fool, who only speaks in quotes from Shakespeare and the Bible. The real mystery is who Brother Erasmus really is, what he is hiding, and why he speaks only in quotes. There are some other homeless characters in the book who are also well characterized. This book has a lot of metaphysical discussion on those who live outside society in this way. And there is a lot of suspense and mystery involved in finding Brother Erasmus's secrets. Eventually the detective Kate Martinelli founds out who the murderer was, but she is more interested in the life of the characters she meets. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes your mysteries to be a bit more literary. King has been compared a lot to PD James, and I think that comparison holds true.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Engaging story, January 28, 2001

By	Helen (Highgate, South Australia, Australia) - See all my reviews

I am increasingly becoming a fan of this author. However, I am not sure what the point was in the long and involved examination of the Fool movement in this installment of the Kate Martinelli series. It was not particularly interesting and, as a sub-theme, actually took over the story rather than assist the reader in any way to deal with the main plot. Also, there is unnecessary repetition in the description and exchanges in the Kate/Lee relationship. We seem to be told several times, and in a variety of different ways, that Lee is disabled and Kate blames herself for it. Nevertheless, this book was worth three stars as the talent of the author to spin an engaging story is well evident.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best of Martinelli, April 22, 1998

By A Customer

This book has made me a huge fan of Laurie King. I really liked her other Martinelli books and love the Russel series, but this book is far and above her best. It was very hard to put down and when I finished, she kept me wanting more. Readers who love interesting characters will love this book. Brother Erasmus is the best of the supporting cast. I just wish we could have more of him! The plot is exciting and unique as well. A great read!