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A Comedian Dies Audiobook
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(2.99) - 84 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Charles Paris, middle-aged actor turned amateur sleuth, is vacationing at a small English seaside town. Irresistibly drawn to anything theatrical, Charles seeks entertainment at the local music hall and endures a series of not-so-wonderful vaudeville acts in the hope that the man given star billing will be worth watching. This performer, Bill Peaky, comes on stage with his electric guitar, grasps the microphone—and drops dead, due to faulty wiring of the stage equipment.
It looks like an accident, but Charles is not so sure and starts to find out more about the people in the other acts on the bill: Janine, the pretty dancer who disappears; Miffy Turtle, Peaky’s manager, a little too sharply dressed and too sharp altogether; Chox Morton, seedy and unduly nervous, manager of another act; Lennie Barber, one-time star comedian trying to make a comeback. The more Charles investigates, the more suspects turn up.
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"Amazing voice and characterization for the old comedian, Lennie Barber: great depth of his feeling and philosophy on being a seasoned entertainer dealing with successes and disallusions, of the intangibility of dealing with a fickle public; no remaining illusions; his insights and vision, passion for his work ad respect for his roots in the bygone music hall era - and his entertainer dad. Shrewd analysis of fame, success and the difference bewteen live audience and the distancing media of TV.Brett is a wry and insightful writer on aspects of theatre. Less exploration of Charles as a flawed creatuure and not as amusing, but Lennie is rivetting. 5 stars to THAT aspect."
— ursula (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Typical Brett: Well-realized characters and urbane dialogue…[with] a pronounced touch of irony.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“Frederick Davidson catches the perfect ironic and self-deprecating tone for Paris. Davidson’s excellent portrayal of the classes of people found in the British television studio and vaudeville hall greatly contributes to the enjoyment of this mystery.”
— AudioFile -
“Simon Brett, the Laurence Olivier of theatrical mystery, writes thrillers that play wonderfully: the dialogue is witty and natural, the characterization engagingly complex, and the plots most cunningly constructed.”
— Booklist -
“A likable case, nicely colored with a music hall/TV background…A neat, swift read by anybody’s standards.”
— Kirkus Reviews
A Comedian Dies Listener Reviews
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" Not the best of the Charles Paris mysteries, but still enjoyable. "
— Leslie, 10/10/2013 -
" A fairly good mystery with a protagonist whose faults are as obvious to himself as to others, which add to the hurdles he must overcome to solve the mystery of the onstage death-by-electrocution of an up and coming young comedian. "
— Curtiss, 5/17/2013 -
" Hmmmm. Not amazingly interesting or anything, but not a terrible book that I couldn't finish. "
— Mitch, 5/12/2012 -
" enough to put me off series for good "
— Helen, 4/5/2012 -
" enough to put me off series for good "
— Helen, 3/31/2011 -
" Hmmmm. Not amazingly interesting or anything, but not a terrible book that I couldn't finish. "
— Mitch, 11/5/2010 -
" Not the best of the Charles Paris mysteries, but still enjoyable. "
— Leslie, 9/21/2008
About Simon Brett
Simon Brett is the creator of six series of detective novels, as well as ten stand-alone novels. His stand-alone novel A Shock to the System was adapted as a film starring Michael Caine. He has been awarded the CWA’s prestigious Diamond Dagger for an outstanding body of work and the Malice Domestic Award for lifetime achievement. He was awarded an OBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours for Services to Literature and also was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. He is a former president of Britain’s Crime Writers Association. He worked as a producer in radio and television before taking up writing full-time.
About Frederick Davidson
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.