Heckler - Hardcover

Barton, Dan

3.28

18 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0312271832 ISBN 13: 9780312271831

Publisher: Minotaur Books, 2001

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Stand up comedian Biff Kincaid shows us that life isn't always a laughing matter. While driving along Sunset Strip Biff hears his pager go off and looks at the number. It is The Comedysino in Las Vegas calling him to fill in as headliner that night because the person who was supposed to be there, Tiger Moore, can no longer do the show. Biff agrees to do the show, after they agree to his price, and he is on his way to Vegas. Once there, he is met by Rick who is in charge of The Comedysino. Rick takes Biff to his room, the one where Tiger was staying, but the room is blocked off with yellow police tape. Biff demands to know what is going on and Rick confesses that someone tried to kill Tiger the night before by stabbing him in the neck.

Biff cannot resist the temptation to see the crime scene and he is startled by what he sees. Not only is there blood all over the floor, but a message above the bed that reads "GET OFF THE STAGE. YOU SUCK." Biff soon finds himself looking for more answers and chasing the heckler.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly:

This taut and consistently entertaining successor to Barton's Killer Material (2000) nicely supports Steve Martin's claim, "Comedy is not pretty." With the same fearlessness that marks a seasoned stand-up comedian, which he is, Biff Kincaid risks livelihood and life to track "The Heckler," a serial killer haunting comedy clubs from Las Vegas to Seattle. Whether delivering one-liners or karate kicks, Kincaid is as adept at disarming a hostile crowd as he is at disabling a would-be attacker. Barton skillfully blends crisp dialogue, deft punch lines and convincing action. His graphic descriptions of torture and disfigurement are strong stuff. Don't look here for poisoned cognac or clean bullet holes; instead think: cigarette lighters, pliers, serrated hunting knives. Barton also scores with his on-target skewering of tabloid TV ("Was George Washington our nation's first pothead? The story after this break!") as well as Hollywood superagents, white supremacists and comedians themselves. His portrayal of the insatiable Louie Baxter, a friend of Kincaid's who jumps from club dates to sitcom stardom, recalls the chilling self-destruction of real-life legends John Belushi and Chris Farley. Barton lends the story further verisimilitude by putting Kincaid in such familiar venues as the Comedy Store and the Improv. Make no mistake, though, the author's world of stand-up comedy is more gloom than glamour, the laughs and the brutality equally dark. Agent, Matt Bialer at William Morris.

From Booklist:

Barton's second Biff Kincaid mystery is as polished as his first, the wonderful Killer Material [BKL My 1 00]. The author, a stand-up comic (and television producer), clearly knows his subject, and these stories about a stand-up comedian and amateur sleuth are just great fun. Kincaid is a well-established comedian, but he wouldn't mind having his own series like his fellow comic, Louie Baxter. Of course, Kincaid might then have some of Louie's problems, in particular the nagging suspicion that someone is out to get him. Louie has been receiving anonymous (and vaguely threatening) letters, it seems, just like another of Kincaid's friends, Tiger Moore, was doing before he was stabbed to death. Now Kincaid must figure out who the killer is before Louie, too, winds up lifeless. Like Killer Material, this new novel features plenty of information about the world of the professional comedian, and it's fascinating stuff, too. Fans of mysteries set in the entertainment industry won't want to miss Biff Kincaid. David Pitt
Copyright � American Library Association. All rights reserved

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.