Bodies
New York: Dell Publishing, 1988. First Dell printing thus [stated]. Mass market paperback. 222, [2] pages. Cover says "First Time in paperback." Signed by the author on the title page. Robert Barnard (23 November 1936 – 19 September 2013) was an English crime writer, critic and lecturer. His first crime novel, A Little Local Murder, was published in 1976. The novel was written while he was a lecturer at University of Tromsø in Norway. He went on to write more than 40 other books and numerous short stories. Barnard said that his favorite crime writer was Agatha Christie. In 1980 he published a critique of her work titled A Talent to Deceive: An Appreciation of Agatha Christie. Barnard was awarded the Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2003 by the Crime Writers Association for a lifetime of achievement. Under the pseudonym Bernard Bastable, Robert Barnard published two standalone novels and two alternate history books starring Wolfgang Mozart as a detective, he having survived to old age. When the editor of a soft-porn magazine arrives one morning to find four dead bodies brightly illuminated by the magazine's photography studio lights, Perry Trethowan must probe the secrets of London's Soho district in search of the killer. Derived from Publisher's Weekly: In the Soho studio of Bodies magazine (porn so soft it's "practically marshmallow") are found four corpses: a photographer, his assistant, an actress-student and a young bodybuilder. Perry Trethowan of London's C.I.D. can't discern a motive for the murders but a few hints point toward the bodybuilder's background. The suave Trethowan finds himself involved in the seedy, naively narcissistic world of competitive body-building. Using a black gym-manager as an undercover decoy, Trethowan penetrates a more sinister, hardcore porno operation that specializes in teenagers. The lively characters and colorful background are nicely done. Narrator Trethowan is, once again, a charming guide. Mystery Guild main selection. Condition: Very good.
Keywords: Perry Trethowan, Pornography, Bodybuilder, Hardcore, Editor, Photographer, Actress, Criminal Investigation, Murder, Budy-building, Undercover
ISBN: 0440200075
[Book #75857]
Price: $45.00