A Few Minutes Past Midnight

By Stuart M. Kaminsky

Toby hunts for the man who wants to kill a fallen star of silent film.

As Toby Peters crouches behind a tombstone, hiding from a crazed gunman, the private eye thinks of Charlie Chaplin. A few days earlier, the pioneer of film comedy sat in Toby's office, and told him of the hundreds of people who want him dead. Beloved when his public could not hear him speak, his political leanings have made him a pariah. Right-wing radicals, the Ku Klux Klan, and the fathers of the innumerable young women Chaplin has deflowered have all threatened the 'Little Tramp.' But now someone has broken into Chaplin's house with a long knife, telling him to quit making movies and leave Fiona Sullivan alone. Chaplin has never heard of Fiona, and wants Toby to find out why he's supposed to stay away.

Toby Peters is about to learn a lesson Chaplin learned years ago: If you want to stay alive in Los Angeles, keep your mouth shut.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus
• Release date: Jun 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781784086336

Stuart M. Kaminsky

Stuart M. Kaminsky (1934-2009) was the author of fifty novels, including the Lew Fonesca mystery series and the Toby Peters mystery series. A former president of Mystery Writers of America, Kaminsky was a recipient of the Edgar Award and the Prix de Roman D’Aventure of France. He was also nominated for the Shamus and McCavity Awards. His previous tie-in work includes two original Rockford Files novels.

Reviews for A Few Minutes Past Midnight

[woosang_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A very ordinary mystery. It seemed the client (Charlie Chaplin) did a lot of the work for the detective that he hired. Toby Peters is average at best and appeared to be too obtuse to be a Private Eye. The book was not fast paced,or even terribly exciting. It barely held my interest to the find out who did it or why. For this author, whose works I have read in the past, this is poor. Find another of his work. MOst are much much better