Send in the Clowns

Paul Chang Mystery #3

by J. Gregory Smith

Max Stark is a trained circus clown whose tricks can be downright terrifying—especially for his ex-wife.



News anchor Laura Stark thought she’d seen the last of her devious ex-husband, but a series of sinister pranks has her convinced Max is back—and hell-bent on turning her life upside down. After she broke a controversial story that left her unable to rely on New York’s finest, Laura turns to a pair of eccentric private investigators for help.



Paul Chang, an ex-cop with a mean streak, and his partner, the near-clairvoyant Nelson Rogers, believe Laura’s story—and suspect Max is up to more than just stalking. Laura has been landing scoop after scoop about the mob, a murder, and the mayor of New York, and Chang thinks Max is using the events in Laura’s stories to plot a terrifying prank with global consequences. Can Chang and Nelson catch Max before the mad jester turns the city into his own three-ring circus?

418 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

Prior to writing fiction full time, Greg Smith worked in public relations in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware. He has an MBA from the College of William & Mary and a BA in English from Skidmore College.

His first novel, Final Price, was selected as a Quarterfinalist in the 2009 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Just released as a self-published work, it is now available on Amazon.com, Kindle and select bookstores.

He lives in Wilmington, DE with his wife and son."

Reviews

[William Bentrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Send In the Clowns by J. Gregory Smith

A Noble Cause was an improvement over Greg’s first book Final Price as was Legacy of the Dragon over the previous novels. I enjoyed all of them but this book was even better. J. Gregory Smith is going to be a smashing success!

Burly Paul Chang and his quirky sidekick Nelson are back. This story is one of international terrorism, stalking and political intrigue.

Chang is still recovering from injuries from the previous story. He is a complex character who is constantly battling his internal dragon. Nelson’s character of the consummate nerd is equally likeable. You find yourself seeing these two in people you know. Greg does a great job with his characterizations.

I found the story more colorful and delightfully complex with a cynical view of politicians and their overwhelming personal conceit. Max as a villain was just about perfect. The circus connection provided abundant color and sly humor.

A good story, lots of action, likeable characters, what’s not to like? Oh, and lest I forget, a terrific cover! My only criticism of the book is lack of a sufficient back story. I have read all of the books and thus had no issues but a reader new to the series may stumble a bit.

J. Greg Smith is on track to be the next Lee Child. Perhaps we could get Jack Reacher to meet Paul Chang, there would be some serious action in that meeting. Greg, how about Unleash The Dragon?

I highly recommend this book!

Body of work of J. Gregory Price

Web Site: http://www.jgregorysmithbooks.com/bio...

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Terrific

Great trilogy. Hope to read more of the author's books.
Wish I didn't have to add ten more words one more.

[Liliana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story. The best one of the Paul Chang Mysteries.

[Mihir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rodgers and Chang, our erstwhile heroes, are re-introduced to the readers in this third outing as they have to deal with a mad clown who is the ex-husband to Laura Stark.

The best part about this book that while that the blurb makes it out to be a straightforward story. It is far, far from that, there are various other complications and characters that litter this crazy plot-line. There's some twists that are hard to predict but overall the author makes the characterization straight in the sense that the bad guys stay bad & the good guys never cross over into the grey.

The points going against the book that this book is not a standalone read, there are quite a few references to previous two books. This is a big downer for new readers or for those who even after reading the previous two, can't recall it. This causes more than a few bumps in the read as something is talked about and the new readers would think "what the hell are they talking about?"

I enjoyed this book but not as much as the first two. So this book will be a bit difficult to recommend for new readers but for those who have read and enjoyed the previous two. This book doesn't disappoint.

[Rob Ballister · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first J. Gregory Smith work, and I was not disappointed. The author strikes a very good mix between action, suspense, and dry humor which keeps the story entertaining.

Paul Chang and his quirky partner Nelson used to be NYPD, but now that are on the PI circuit. A hotshot NY newscaster is convinced she is being stalked by her ex, and calls in Chang and Nelson. But her ex isn't just any stalker, he's a former college football star turned insane clown. What Chang and Nelson uncover regarding Max the crazy clown, the crooked mayor of New York and one very uptight Russian will keep the reader engaged from start to finish.

I specifically liked the character development here. Smith does a good job of redeveloping Chang and Nelson so that new readers don't feel lost, and Max the clown is just creepy on many different levels.

All in all, a well written book that makes me want to read more by this author.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this thriller, being stalked by a clown, makes the reader stretch his belief of what is plausible. When I considered the acrobatic and sleight of hand skills of a clown, I saw how a devious clown could be a seriously difficult opponent and this concept worked for me as I read the first two thirds of this book. Unfortunately, I thought that Mr. Smith stretched my credibility a little too far for his conclusion. My conclusion is that this is a good book that went a little too far. A saving grace of the book is the pair of detectives tasked with tracking down the clown. The interactions of Chang the Chinese American warrior with his inner dragon and Nelson a diminutive and ungainly man whose looks belie a great intelligence are innovative and amusing.

[Lisa Cobb Sabatini · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was my good fortune to win J. Gregory Smith's Send in the Clowns from Goodreads. What an incredible antagonist! Max is a professional clown who can mimic voices, change his appearance, and walk on tightropes. He can also pick locks and has an evil sense of humor. How can our hero, the very likeable Paul Chang, protect his client, Max,s ex-wife Laura, from such a madman? Reading the book, I really, really wanted to see Chang and his sidekick Nelson emerge the heroes, not only for the sake of good winning over evil, but also for the triumph of the downtrodden. Good mystery, great characters. I recommend this book to any mystery fan who is not already afraid of clowns.

[Kevin Chang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this in a giveaway.

Smith writes a gripping thriller, a nice refresher from the classic mystery novel. Max Stark's clown antics provide comic relief as the investigation moves on, not unlike the Joker's relationship with the Batman.

Send in the clowns is a nice, comical detective story, great for lighter reading.

[Dkolacinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third times a charm for me with this series, although I missed the unique cultural aspects of Chang. Rodgers is a really intriguing side-kick. A stalking clown may be a stretch, but it really worked in this fast-paced read.