Murder on the Yellow Brick Road: Amazon.ca: Stuart M. Kaminsky: Books

Product Description

From AudioFile

Toby Peters, private investigator, is called to the set of The Wizard of Oz, where a munchkin has been found murdered a year after the movie's release. Lane's baritone voice withstands the challenge of providing voices for the many characters in the story, and listeners can easily distinguish each one. While Lane's strong talent cannot convincingly mimic such well-known voices as Clark Gable and Judy Garland, this does not detract from the reading. Mysterious clues and Lane's delivery of the cynical humor entice the listener along the Yellow Brick Road to a surprise ending not in Kansas. P.A.J. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Description

The year is 1940 and Los Angeles-based private eye Toby Peters has been asked to track down a murderer stalking the back lots of one of Hollywood's most powerful movie companies. This is the first paperback publication of a noir classic which has been out of print for over 12 years. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Customer Reviews

7 Reviews

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

3.3 out of 5 stars (7 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic leisure reading., May 30 2002

By	C. L. Stone (College Park, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder On The Yellow Brick Road (Paperback)

This book is one of the first mystery novels that I've ever picked up, started, and felt compelled to keep reading until I finished it. Stuart Kaminsky blends the familiar elements of a murder mystery with a good dose of humor and eroticism (don't worry, it's not obscene). The whole book is tied together with the completely unpredictable, sick, yet hilarious conclusion. I'm not a person who reads a lot of mystery novels (or a lot of books in general), but Stuart Kaminsky is the most fun author I have ever read. Murder on the Yellow Brick Road was the first Kaminsky book I read, and it led me to buy 2 more of his books (Dancing in the Dark and The Devil Met a Lady), both of which are similarly fun but not quite as good from a mystery reader standpoint. If you're just looking for a good mystery novel that is also very fun, go ahead and pick up a copy of Murder on the Yellow Brick Road. Oh, and don't let your kids read it.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Good storytelling, predictable plot..., Mar 27 2001

By	Erik J. Larsen (st. paul, mn) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder On The Yellow Brick Road (Paperback)

Kaminsky's Toby Peters is a classic hard boiled detective and lives up to the title in this book. It has all the elements of a good L.A. noir story and is handled well. The extra(s) are the inclusion of many historically famous personalities (Raymond Chandler, Judy Garland, Louis B. Mayer, etc.)

That being said this book suffers from the same thing all books written about pre-war L.A. by people who weren't really there. The descriptions and directions tend to sound like someone reading off of a 1940's California map along with pictures from an old Life magazine.

Its fast-paced, short, and to the point. Its worth the time, however you won't remember much of it after you're done.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Pay no attention to the picture up there!, Jan 23 2001

By	TundraVision (o/~ from the Land of Sky Blue Waters o/~) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder On The Yellow Brick Road (Paperback)

The dust jacket on the hardcover is apropos. It has a picture of a bleeding Munchkin with a dagger through his heart lying on the Yellow Brick Road.

It's November 1, 1940. The Wizard of OZ premiered last year. FDR is running for a 3rd term. Who is killing former Munchkins? Is Judy Garland in danger? Tobias Leo Pevsner, (a/k/a Toby Peters) P.I. is on the case for MGM. (MGM wants to control publicity spin and avoid official police "blue tape.)

The book, written by a Northwestern University film professor, is a take-off on the "hard-boiled" detective sagas of an earlier age. In a hilarious plot twist, Toby stumbles on some guy he's never heard of who claims to be a writer of detective stories. The guy's name? "Chandler, Raymond Chandler" who tells our hero he has written a couple of books: "The Big Sleep" and "Farewell, My Lovely" - neither of which our hero has ever heard of either. Nonetheless, Mr. Chandler becomes his sometime partner on the case. If you like things Oz, I recommend this book and also the movie "Under the Rainbow" - a spoof of the making of the Wizard of Oz, with Chevy Chase and Carrie Fisher trying to manage the mischievous Munchkins.

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Most recent customer reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars Take Me Back to Kansas
This book has unique hook in its setting and peripheral characters and its surface details will most likely please classic film fans, but if you're in the market for even a... Read more

Published on Aug 4 2000

1.0 out of 5 stars Too predictable
This is the first Kaminsky book I've read, and I can't say that I'm impressed. A midget who played a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz is found dead on the set of the movie and Toby... Read more

Published on Aug 4 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars witty, period mystery for oz and noir fans
clever mystery writing from one of the best contemplorary mystery writeres--evocative of the 40s and with a cool cover!

Published on May 16 2000

4.0 out of 5 stars A Murder Mystery in Oz
This is a charming story all about the discovery of a murdered munchkin one year after the film had been completed. Read more

Published on Jan 30 2000 by Robert E. Gold