Synopses & Reviews
From the infamous mind of a comic madman—and the author of the sardonic The Big Question—comes a mind-numbingly hilarious parody of cop dramas, police procedurals, and America’s upper crust.
• Comic legend: Chuck Barris is the creator and former producer of The Gong Show, The Newlywed Game, and The Dating Game, among many others. His memoir, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, sparked a worldwide debate as to the validity of his professed identity when he claimed to have worked as an assassin for the Central Intelligence Agency during the 1960s and the 1970s. As a storyteller, Barris is the blackest comedian there is. As a satirist, he may be one of the best writers around today.
• A masterful spoof: Art Deco Jr. is heir to a vast fortune, scion of one of America’s most powerful men—but he is also the black sheep of the family. When he is found murdered in his Manhattan apartment, everyone wonders who could have killed him. Was it Art’s recently spurned lover, Eddie Cotton, the failed actor and gigolo? Was it one of Art’s own relatives, all of whom seem ready to disown him for tarnishing the family name? As the investigation unfolds, it becomes apparent to the novice detective Jimmy Netts that without an actual license, it’s tough to investigate anything resembling a crime scene. Full of uproarious investigative snafus, Who Killed Art Deco? is a dark and delightfully funny book from an equally troubled mind.
Review
"The latest novel by the author of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (1982) and The Big Question (2007) is a three-in-one literary satire, lampooning simultaneously the murder mystery, the private-eye novel, and the family drama. Barris, who gained early fame as the creator of such television fare as The Gong Show, is a wildly inventive writer whose imagination takes him, and us, to some very strange and entertaining places." -- David Pitt, Booklist
Review
"Once he kicks into gear, Barris is as antic in mystery mode as in any other. Like a more linear Tim Dorsey, the former Gong Show host (The Big Question, 2007, etc.) deadpans his way through his detection debut, delivered shotgun style." -- Kirkus
Review
"I thoroughly enjoyed Who Killed Art Deco?! And I was fascinated once the various characters began to unfold. All in all a fun read." -- Dick Clark
Synopsis
Chuck Barris's hilarious whodunit about a Jewish PI from Kentucky who teams with the NYPD to solve a society murder.
Synopsis
Art Deco Jr. is heir to a vast fortune, scion of one of America's most powerful men -- Art Deco Sr. -- though by the time we meet him in these pages, Art has fallen into a life of depravity: booze, drugs, you name it. The Deco family is almost too embarrassed to acknowledge him as their own. And by the time Art is found shot dead in his elegant Manhattan apartment, there is a long list of friends and family who may have wanted to kill him -- so the police have their work cut out for them.
NYPD detectives Eddie Roach and Jackie Hallerhan are up against a wall when private investigator Jimmy Netts is called on the case by Art Deco Sr. His first case, no less Netts teams with the NYPD (mostly because he's not exactly sure how to go about solving crimes, much less understands the procedure, and doesn't have a detective's license) to find out who killed poor Art Jr. It could be just about anyone.
As a storyteller, the infamous Chuck Barris is the blackest comedian there is. As a satirist, his is a wickedly razor-sharp voice. The deadpan dialogue, investigative snafus, crime drama parody, and cast of hilarious characters in Who Killed Art Deco? bring to mind an unholy combination of Agatha Christie and the Pink Panther, with just a dash of Homicide. This is a dark and delightfully funny book from an equally, delightfully, troubled mind.
Synopsis
From the author of the sardonic "The Big Question" and the controversial "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind" comes a hilarious parody of cop dramas, police procedurals, and America's upper crust.
About the Author
Chuck Barris is a former television show creator and producer, whose credits include The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, The Gong Show, and Treasure Hunt. He is the author of several books, including Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (adapted into a major motion picture) and the New York Times bestselling novel You and Me, Babe. Chuck and his wife, Mary, live in Manhattan.