The Big Show Stopper (A Pinky and Bear Mystery #2)

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The Big Show Stopper (A Pinky and Bear Mystery #2)

by Ken Dalton

3.6 of 5 stars 3.60 · rating details · 15 ratings · 14 reviews

Kindle Edition, 296 pages

Published (first published January 1st 2010)

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Feb 16, 2011 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all mystery lovers

Recommended to Molly by: Tribute-Books

Shelves: book-review

I really love a good mystery, and while there is some language, this one fell into that good mystery category. I was instantly captured by Dalton's characters and the laugh-out-loud antics that Pinky-the DA and Bear-the off the street PI go through. The perfect blend of laughs and mystery make up this great read!

I really enjoyed getting to know these characters. Pinky and Bear were first introduced in Dalton's The Bloody Birthright, though, sadly, I haven't read that one yet. These two really co...more

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Feb 03, 2011 Crystal rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, read-feb-2011

The Big Show Stopper was a very entertaining and at times amusing book. Mr. Dalton does a great job setting up the characters and the mystery plot in this book and keeping the reader hooked from the first page until the last..

The Big Show Stopper is the second book in the Pinky and the Bear series, but the first one I have read. I believe this book stands alone quite well but I am sure I will go back and read the first one when I get a chance. The main players in the book are lawyer, Pinky, Bear...more

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Feb 27, 2011 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm becoming more and more a fan of a good mystery, and The Big Show Stopper definitely satisfied that itch for me. I'll be honest that I wasn't quite sure what to expect with characters named Pinky and Bear involved, but I hoped that it would be related to snarky humor and innuendos. Oh, how right I was! Thank you so much Ken Dalton for fulfilling that for me.

As a a mystery, The Big Show Stopper is one that definitely doesn't disappoint. The plot is fast moving, and Dalton knows how to throw ju...more I'm becoming more and more a fan of a good mystery, and The Big Show Stopper definitely satisfied that itch for me. I'll be honest that I wasn't quite sure what to expect with characters named Pinky and Bear involved, but I hoped that it would be related to snarky humor and innuendos. Oh, how right I was! Thank you so much Ken Dalton for fulfilling that for me.

As a a mystery, The Big Show Stopper is one that definitely doesn't disappoint. The plot is fast moving, and Dalton knows how to throw just enough twists into the mix to keep you guessing. I liked how this mystery really follows the "recipe" if you will for a good story. Take one famous person, murder him, then have several possible suspects for your characters to investigate. Pinky, Bear and Flo definitely had their hands full with this one. I thought I had the mystery solved, and then I'd suddenly realize that I was completely off. Ah, mystery. How I love you as a genre.

Pinky, Bear and Flo are fantastic characters. In fact, they are really what makes the book so great! Yes, the mystery is good, but without the interaction between these characters I don't think I would have been half as invested in reading on as I was. Their sarcasm and actions towards one another is extremely realistic, and they play off one another beautifully. We have Pinky, the greedy lawyer, Bear, the smooth talking PI, and then Flo, who is Bear's girlfriend and also a heck of a sleuth. I thought the three of them together were the perfect blend of sarcasm, humor, and realism.

My one gripe, and this a small thing in the grand scheme of things, was Flo. She wasn't exactly the nicest person to Bear most times, and she jumped on him about the tiniest things. I can't really remember how many times she threatened to leave him in the book. As I've always said, I know I won't love every character, so I kind of wrote it off to enjoy the overall book. Like I mentioned above, Flo is pretty evened out by the other two characters anyway. I guess I just really liked Bear and wanted him to be treated better. Yup, it's just little old me talking here.

Anyway enough rambling. Suffice it to say that The Big Show Stopper is well worth your time, whether you are a long time mystery lover or brand new to the genre! I didn't mention it before but this actually is the second book in a series. It doesn't matter much, as you can completely read this as a standalone. Just be warned that you'll end up wanting the first book.

With a mixture of humor and downright good mystery, this book will be sure to have you reading long into the night.(less)

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Jan 14, 2011 Kristin (Kritters Ramblings) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kritter-reviewed-2011

A book that started a little rough, ended up being a great book that I am excited to share. From the beginning, there was a lot of language both curse words and crude, but once the story picked up you could push that to the side to enjoy the investigation.

Taking readers behind the scenes of the music industry and the business side of things, I could honestly picture the people in this country singer's inner circle. A person is who they surround themselves with and how they treat those who work f...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-reviews

Partnerships are a traditional feature in mystery novels and in The Big Show Stopper, author Ken Dalton pairs urbane lawyer, J Pincus Delemont and petty criminal turned investigator Bear Zebarte. This book is the second in the Pinky and the Bear series, the first being The Bloody Birthright: A Pinky And The Bear Mystery.
Bear and his bombshell girlfriend, Flo, are attending a concert when the beloved star dies in what is first thought to be a tragic accident. It is quickly discovered that Brady B...more Partnerships are a traditional feature in mystery novels and in The Big Show Stopper, author Ken Dalton pairs urbane lawyer, J Pincus Delemont and petty criminal turned investigator Bear Zebarte. This book is the second in the Pinky and the Bear series, the first being The Bloody Birthright: A Pinky And The Bear Mystery.
Bear and his bombshell girlfriend, Flo, are attending a concert when the beloved star dies in what is first thought to be a tragic accident. It is quickly discovered that Brady Blackstone has been murdered and the superstars' wife is willing to pay Pinky a very healthy bonus if he can prove that her lover is not responsible.
The Big Show Stopper unfurls with deliberation as at the behest of Pinky Bear and Flo drive across the country following the slimmest of leads. Bear's investigative inexperience is tempered by Flo's smarts as the couple make the most of th expense account to identify suspects. Bear may not be terribly bright but he is resourceful, and I thought him likeable. Flo provides some light relief and I was amused by her diva behaviour. I didn't find Pinky particularly appealing, his pomposity, greed and misogyny reduces him to a cliche.
The investigated developed slowly and I felt the pace of the story dragged despite the deadline suggesting urgency. I can contribute part of that feeling to the books very dry humour and formal language which I struggled with at times. The narrative shifts between the perspective of Pinky and Bear which breaks up the events, but I didn't feel the change was reflected in the dialogue or tone for the characters.
I did enjoy the minor subplots, such as the vindictive detective and the overreaching secretary, though I think both perhaps had roots in the first Pinky and Bear mystery which I was not privy to. Still, I appreciated the diversion these provided.
The Big Show Stopper is solidly plotted, with interesting characters.
A classic mystery with a quirky noir edge, it should find a place with fans of the genre.
(less)

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Mar 01, 2011 CorLostForWords rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, blog-tour

Source: Received as part of the Tribute Books blog tour. Many thanks goes to Nicole for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 3.5 stars.

Bear and Flo are heading out to a concert, and they've managed to obtain backstage passes. Before the show starts though, it is stopped in its tracks when the main attraction winds up dead. Was Blackstone's death accidental, or intentional? Bear and Pinky are on the case when th...more Source: Received as part of the Tribute Books blog tour. Many thanks goes to Nicole for sending me a copy of this book for review. I received this book free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

My rating: 3.5 stars.

Bear and Flo are heading out to a concert, and they've managed to obtain backstage passes. Before the show starts though, it is stopped in its tracks when the main attraction winds up dead. Was Blackstone's death accidental, or intentional? Bear and Pinky are on the case when they are asked to investigate Blackstone's death by his widow. With Flo in tow, Bear heads to Carson City to question Blackstone's crew. Pinky is left to handle any problems that arise back at the office. Will they find the bad guy?
The Big Show Stopper has a very noir-like vibe to it. It's set up as a true who-dun-it and the reader will be wondering until the very end if Bear and Pinky will solve the mystery. With an engaging and colourful cast of characters, there is no end to the witticisms. A trigger-happy cop, Bear's girlfriend, Flo, a homeless man, and Blackstone's crew all add their own brand of flair to the story.
Bear and Pinky test the bonds of employee and employer, and the book is told from both of their points of view. They both seem to know when to give and have a relatively good working relationship, though I think Bear is treated poorly by Pinky on more than one occasion. Bear and Flo's relationship is also up for debate as Flo constantly is questioning Bear's whereabouts. While readingThe Big Show Stopper I found that it reminded me of a masculine version of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. The main reason that I drew the connection was due to the relationships that Bear has with his fellow co-workers and family, as well as the characters that he has to hunt down and question. There are many situations in the book that are inflected with humour which makes this book an interesting read.
All in all, an engaging storyline. The reader will be invested in the outcome, and will enjoy the behind the scenes look at different aspects of the music industry. A humorous and, at times, tongue-in-cheek read, avid mystery readers will like the nuances of the characters and story as Bear struggles to piece together the mystery of Blackstone's death on a deadline.(less)

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Feb 12, 2011 Literary rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was contacted by Tribute Books about reviewing The Big Show Stopper and hosting a blog tour date.

I also wanted to mention that I am changing my review format. I am breaking it down into four sections and hope it will be more effective. Here we go ... =)

Cover: I always look at the cover because, to me, the cover gives you a sense or a preview of what's inside. This cover on this book is a great photo shot by the author's son (of which the process is told about in the back of the book), but I d...more I was contacted by Tribute Books about reviewing The Big Show Stopper and hosting a blog tour date.

I also wanted to mention that I am changing my review format. I am breaking it down into four sections and hope it will be more effective. Here we go ... =)

Cover: I always look at the cover because, to me, the cover gives you a sense or a preview of what's inside. This cover on this book is a great photo shot by the author's son (of which the process is told about in the back of the book), but I don't know that it gives you a sense of what's written inside. It does exemplify that the show has stopped, though, so I guess that's something.

Plot: This is a little difficult for me to explain, but I'm going to try ... I thought the story moved along in a steady pace and kept the reader interested. In addition, I thought that the storyline focused more on the lives of the three main characters instead of the murder. The main characters, and their personalities and interactions with each other, seem to stick in my memory more than the actual murder storyline, even though they were investigating the murder for the entire length of the novel.

Characters: The three main characters were Pinky, Bear and Flo. Pinky, or J. Pincus Delmont, is a greedy lawyer who isn't too concerned with what's right as long as he's being paid enough. He's a slick talker and arrogant. I didn't care for Pinky.

Bear is proclaimed to be street-wise in the summary. I couldn't help but think that Bear was written as slow and ignorant. The way Flo and Pinky spoke to him and treated him confirmed this for me. When he was questioning potential suspects he could come up with lies in an instant, but put him in a conversation with Flo and/or Pinky and he was very dim-witted. It was aggravating to see this contradiction as I liked Bear and wanted to see him treated with respect.

Now Flo ... Flo is a different story ... she was a college graduate and smart. Flo was a bitch though (sorry ya'll, but there's just no other word for her). She mistrusted Bear every time he turned around. She threatened to leave him over any little incident. She was high-maintenance and wrung Bear financially dry every chance she got. It is safe to say that Flo got on my nerves. I was ready for Bear to just dump her at her house and leave her there.

Overall: The story was well-written and had a noir vibe to it. It kept the reader interested and evoked emotional responses, both positive and negative. I would recommend that adults read this rather than young adults due to some of the language and sexual references.(less)

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Feb 22, 2011 Vern rated it 4 of 5 stars

Immediately, when I started reading this novel I felt like I was a part of this story and the team. It felt like I was following a movie more so than a novel (strange I know). Bear Zabarte is a private investigator for Attorney J. Pincus Delmot known to everyone as Pinky. Bear has to take his overbearing girlfriend, Flo, to a Brady Blackstone concert for her birthday. While making his way to the stage Brady dies a tragic and totally unexpected death. Thus the mystery ensues.

The story is dually n...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Once Upon rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book. Although I thought it dragged a little in the beginning, it turned out to be a pretty good book.
The characters are really funny and complete opposites of one another. Flo, Bear’s girlfriend, is a gorgeous woman who expects her man to be with her at all times and doesn't want to do anything else besides shopping and laying out in the pool. Bear, is charged with killing a man in a bar brawl, but is acquitted thanks to his very "famous" attorney, Pinky.
The story...more

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Feb 01, 2011 Ana rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading this book. Although I thought it dragged a little in the beginning, it turned out to be a pretty good book.

The characters were really funny and were complete opposite of each other. Flo, Bear’s girlfriend, is a gorgeous woman who expects her man to be with her at all times and doesn’t want to do anything else besides shopping and laying out in the pool Bear, was charged with killing a man in a bar brawl, but was acquitted thanks to his very famous attorney, “Pinky.”

T...more

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Feb 20, 2011 Rebecca added it

The Big Show Stopper is a very interesting book. I actually didn't know that this is the second book concerning the characters Bear, Pinky and Flo. However, I didn't think it took away from the story too much not having read their first adventure.

It was an interesting mystery and from the beginning I was hooked into the story because I wanted to know more. The Big Show Stopper was one of those books that it took me a while to pick up but then when I did and start reading it, I couldn't stop.

The...more

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Feb 16, 2011 Britt, Book Habitue rated it 3 of 5 stars

Kind of a bizarre but fun. Lots of innuendo, subtle and not so subtle.

Really, mostly I read it for the setting. I grew up near Carson City so there was a lot of little "local color" stuff that made me smile.

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Feb 11, 2011 SenoraG rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, arc, fiction, tribute-books

A fun, fast paced mystery. Read the full review on my blog, Reading,Reading&Life

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Feb 20, 2012 Carrie Hinkel-Gill rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone liking a good mystery and sarcasm to boot!

Shelves: mlm-mystery

As I'm still reading this one, check out what I have to say at MLM's Book Reviews blog:

http://mlmbookreviews.blogspot.com/20...

Honestly, I didn't want this book to end as it meant no more of Bear and Flo for the time being. The characters of this book were so different that it was a great change of pace and made for an entertaining story!

Even though this was the second in the series, I did not feel like I needed to read the first one to understand the second story.

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Feb 11, 2013 Judy Brock rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feb 26, 2011 Ruth Hill marked it as to-read

Feb 20, 2011 Karthi marked it as to-read

Feb 11, 2011 Lenore Webb rated it 4 of 5 stars

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About Ken Dalton

KEN DALTON was born in 1938 at Hollywood Hospital. He grew up with his parents, his older sister, Pat, and younger brother, Richard in Los Angeles. The year 1938 informs the quick reader that Ken’s older than a lot of people, but younger than some.

In a turn of bad luck, the dreaded Polio virus found Ken.

At the end of World War ll, Ken’s family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a year where he learned...more KEN DALTON was born in 1938 at Hollywood Hospital. He grew up with his parents, his older sister, Pat, and younger brother, Richard in Los Angeles. The year 1938 informs the quick reader that Ken’s older than a lot of people, but younger than some.

In a turn of bad luck, the dreaded Polio virus found Ken.

At the end of World War ll, Ken’s family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a year where he learned how to live through snow blizzards, avoid walking through the large pile of coal in the basement, and how to survive life as an Army Officer’s brat on a base called Fort Warren.

By the age of sixteen, after eleven years of operations, therapy, and braces, Ken’s luck changed dramatically when he met the girl of his dreams at a party. A few years later they married, produced three wonderful children, and settled into a happy life in Southern California.

In 1966, Ken, who worked as a technician for Pacific Bell, and his family left Southern California for the green hills of Sonoma County where they bought a home in Sebastopol surrounded with apple trees. A few years later, Ken and Arlene built a new home on three and a half acres. They raised cows, pigs, and learned how to build outstanding fences. While their children grew, they hosted two exchange students, Eva Reimers from Sweden, and Tanja Wuttke from Germany, both of whom are still loved members of the Dalton clan. Also during those years, Ken was promoted to management at Pacific Bell. He eventually ended up responsible for all the central offices, sixty-three, in an area that covered five counties.

In 1977, Ken, Arlene, Bob Wiltermood, and his wife Norma, designed, built, and operated a 2000 case winery named Pommeraie Vineyards. They produced award winning Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. However, after Bob died, the winery was sold. Ken and Arlene moved to a hilltop in Healdsburg.

With the winery gone, and time on their hands, Ken and Arlene started to perform with the Camp Rose Players. Twenty years and forty productions later, both are still acting and singing.

Life was good. All Ken had to do was learn some lines and bow when the audience applauded.

Then, ten years ago, Ken started to write. His first article was published in Golf Illustrated in August 1996. More golf articles followed in national and regional magazines including Golf Magazine and Fairways and Greens.

After a two-year stint on the County Grand Jury, Ken felt the need to begin his first novel.

Now, after a decade of struggle to learn the craft of writing, Ken has become the publishing world’s latest overnight sensation.(less)

More about Ken Dalton...

Books by Ken Dalton

The Tartan Shroud (A Pinky and Bear Mystery #4)

Death Is a Cabernet (A Pinky and Bear Mystery #3)

The Bloody Birthright (A Pinky and Bear Mystery #1)

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The Big Show Stopper (A Pinky and Bear Mystery #2)

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