Columbo: The Game Show Killer

Columbo (Tor Series) #4

by William Harrington

Pitted against one of the most brilliant and flamboyant lawyers in the country, Columbo must discover the elusive but critical clue in what seems to be a perfect murder. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Media Tie In, Mystery Thriller

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

William Harrington is mainly known as the author of Murder at the President’s Door, his specialty was mainly in detective stories. He was a lawyer from 1958 to 1976, an electoral adviser from 1962 to 1965 in Columbus, and finally an attorney from 1978 to 1980. His first novel The Justice Which, Which the Thief, published in 1963, received positive critics. It was a real case story about a couple of jewelry robberies in Ohio.

His other popular book was published in 1982, The English Lady, it is an espionage novel about Winston Churchill and her confidante spying on the Germans during the Second World War. Between 1993 and 1998, he wrote the Columbo series, inspired by the television series American Columbo. He Co-authored with Elliot Roosevelt on the investigations of Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of the US president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Between 1963 and 2001, he has written over 20 interesting and captivating books.

Reviews

[Jazz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of Columbo and have watched the episodes over and over, never tiring of them and the inverted mysteries they present. This started out appropriately with the conspirators planning the crime, so I was encouraged that I was about to "see" an entirely new episode. I could have overlooked the annoying quality of Columbo's written speech pattern trying to mimic Peter Falk's unique delivery, but there was a bigger problem for me. And that is that the tension between the criminal and Columbo is completely missing here. The scenes where he hounds the murderer in the show were often the best (and biggest) part, but Columbo has little interaction with the criminals in this novel. Instead he interacts with other police and his superiors (rarely done in the show) and plods around interviewing witnesses and family members instead. One fun scene though involved Dog and Columbo at the beach. The "gotcha" moment didn't work for me with no surprise to be revealed. It was interesting enough to keep reading, but ultimately disappointing.

[Nicolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that this was an original mystery that didn't try to work Columbo into some famous case (Manson, JFK, etc.) like previous entries. It was enjoyable, but the ending was rushed and lacked punch.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy these Columbo books. This is my fourth one I've read and all have been fun and brought back fond memories of the show. In this one Columbo has to figure out who killed a beloved movie star that behind the scenes was not nearly as squeaky clean as it seemed. A former starlet on a game show is arrested for the murder because the victim was the father of her child, who was murdered years before. There is much more, in that her lawyer is the best lawyer in town. Also can Columbo see that maybe this former starlet wasnt on her own and may be a victim herself?

Highly recommended a fun Columbo story that could easily be part of the original run of shows.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Columbo series from TV was always one of my favorites and being able to read another adventure is very cool!

[JoeK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another solid entry in this series. I find that hear Peter Falk talking while Columbo is investigating. I don't know if that's just me and my imagination, or if William Harrington is just nailing it.
As always, the story was solidly plotted and paced, just like a TV episode would be. It certainly hits all the notes we'd expect to hit in a typical episode, so there's not too much to complain about. I've seen other reviewers complain that these books aren't as good as the real thing, but it is one thing to have the perfect Columbo script, and quite another when you have great character actors to execute it. Sadly that's never going to happen again. Some might find these novels to be a poor substitute, but not me. I enjoy them.

[Melissa Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

HUGE Columbo fan. I thought the mystery was kind of clever (though it doesn’t even come close to rivaling the TV series). However, I had a difficult time picturing the Columbo I know and love based on how the author wrote his character. I’ll definitely read more of the novels, though.

[D. Wickles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like on the Columbo tv shows, the shabby detective solves what the murders believe is the perfect murder.

[Tahlia Fernandez · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars; a relaxing, enjoyable read. You can almost *hear* Columbo’s voice come off the page

[Myr · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise at the start but the murderer overlooked some pretty obvious things I thought so it was a less impressive "solve" for Columbo than usual. One of the most enjoyable things about watching the show for me is always how Columbo seizes upon small loose threads that end up unraveling the whole mystery. Here, the clues were so glaring that this one felt like a layup for our great detective. Harrington's Columbo voice seemed a little off here as well.

[A.L. Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Columbo. The books have all the cleverness of the series, with the intelligent and cunning but bedraggled detective finding clues where no one else could.

I can read these books over and over and still enjoy the wit and the flow of the writing and the thrill of the chase.

[Art · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of the tv show will enjoy.

[Janine Fenton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Columbo does it again.