To Play the Fool - Softcover

King, Laurie R.

3.91

4,433 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553574558 ISBN 13: 9780553574555

Publisher: Crimeline, 1996

View all copies of this ISBN edition:

Celebrated author Laurie R. King dazzles mystery lovers once again in this, her second Kate Martinelli mystery. The story unfolds as a band of homeless people cremate a beloved dog in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. When it comes to incidents like this, the authorities are willing to overlook a few broken
regulations. But three weeks later, after the dog's owner gets the same fiery send-off, the SFPD knows it has a serious problem on its hands. Other than the fact that they're dealing with a particularly grisly homicide, Inspector Kate Martinelli and her partner, Al Hawkin, have little else to go on. They have a homeless victim without a positive ID, a group of witnesses who have little love for the cops, and a possible suspect, known only as Brother Erasmus. Kate
learns that Erasmus is well-acquainted with the park's homeless and with the rarefied atmosphere of Berkeley's Graduate Theological Union, yet he remains an enigma to all. It's apparent that he is by no means crazy--but he is a fool. Kate begins the frustrating task of interrogating a man who communicates only
through quotations. Trying to learn something of his history leads her along a twisting road to a disbanded cult, long-buried secrets, the thirst for spirituality, and the hunger for bloody vengeance.

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

About the Author:

Laurie R. King is the New York Times bestselling author of a dozen Mary Russell mysteries, beginning with The Beekeeper's Apprentice, as well as the contemporary novels featuring Kate Martinelli, including To Play the Fool, A Grave Talent, and With Child. An Edgar Award winner, she lives in Northern California.

From Booklist:

King's latest once again features gay San Francisco cop Kate Martinelli, this time juggling her lover Lee's paraplegia--the result of Lee's involvement in an earlier case of Kate's--with the frustrating investigation of the death of a homeless man in Golden Gate Park. The key suspect in the murder seems to be the enigmatically charismatic Brother Erasmus, a gentle giant of a man who speaks in quotations and whose calm dignity is a beacon for San Francisco's down-and-outs. Kate's interest is piqued when she learns that Erasmus considers himself a Holy Fool, part of an obscure, semireligious order. In her efforts to learn more about the man and his background, Kate travels from the ivy towers of academe to the squalor of San Francisco's dingiest districts. King's sometimes pedantic prose worked better in The Beekeeper's Apprentice , but an inventive plot and strong characters make this story well worth reading. Emily Melton

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