Corporate Bodies

Product Description
Charles Paris, the often out-of-work actor who is one of the most beloved characters in all of crime fiction, takes on perhaps his most unlikely performing assignment ever in Brett’s wickedly witty story. 2 cassettes.
From Publishers Weekly
No sooner does London actor Charles Paris land the part of a forklift operator in a corporate video than a young woman employee named Dayna is found crushed under the same machine. Paris (last seen in Dead Giveaway ) is the prime suspect until the police determine that he had no motive: Dayna, who had been sleeping her way up the corporate ladder, was too busy blackmailing her important bedmates to make an enemy of Paris. Investigating on his own out of curiosity, Paris learns that the victim had filmed her trysts and that she was killed for one of the tapes. The actor narrowly escapes becoming a victim himself when he uncovers another secret that was earning the dead woman a profit. The killer, ferreted out by Paris, arrogantly confesses and prepares to escape, safe in the knowledge that the minor actor-for-hire is short on credibility and evidence. Brett has assembled the elements of a good read, but his story lacks much suspense as the usually witty Paris , here in his 14th appearance as amateur sleuth, offers only a flat performance. Mystery Guild main selection; Readers Digest Condensed Book selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From AudioFile
Simon Jones, known for his PBS credits, effectively distinguishes the social status of the individuals with his characterizations in this Charles Paris mystery. The emotional intensity of their interpersonal relationships is also clearly presented. Resentment, anger, desire for revenge are well-communicated. Jones does not attempt a feminine tone although several significant characters are women; he simply softens his voice and lowers his volume. This mystery has an intriguing twist which is not particularly satisfying for those who like the punishment to fit the crime, but it’s still quite convincing. M.G.S. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Library Journal
The long-running Charles Paris series continues with the sometime actor appearing in a corporate video as a forklift operator. Unfortunately for him, someone uses the machine as a murder weapon.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Fans of actor-detective Charles Paris will find him in top form in this outing, though he doesn’t distinguish himself in either role. His current role as forklift operator in a publicity shoot for Delmoleen Foods draws sneers even from the operator he’s replacing, and Charles is upstaged when the forklift is used to kill brassy typist Dayna Richman, who may have been sleeping her way to the top, using some blackmailing X-rated tapes of her own to give new meaning to the phrase “promotional video.” In between amusing vignettes at Wimbledon–in another feckless attempt to rekindle his romance with his ex-wife, Frances–and backstage at Delmoleen to dream up an advertising campaign for the world’s first green muesli bar, Charles manages to dig up every blackmail target but the killer, who’s more surprising, but no more threatening, than usual. A mystery almost worthy of Brett’s light, clever dialogue makes this Charles’s best showing in years. —
Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.