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Columbo (Tor Series) #1
Columbo: The Grassy Knoll
After the murder of controversial talk-show host Paul Drury, Lieutenant Columbo must unravel the thirty-year-old mystery of the assassination of President Kennedy, a crime whose perpetrator Drury had been about to expose on his final show
Mass Market Paperback
First published November 1, 1993
3 people are currently reading
219 people want to read
About the author
William Harrington
50 books10 followersWilliam 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
July 31, 2024
Over many months, nearly a year to be more accurate I watched the complete run of Columbo, while researching an article I wrote as an overview on the series I discovered this novel and the other 6 in the series. I also found about casebooks, and even a cookbook. I thought I would try tracking down these books and give them a try. They did not disappoint. It was almost like watching an episode, his mannerisms, his process, and even his favourite foods. I cannot see any fan of the series not enjoying this book, and if the other 5 in the series are a good I am in for some great reads!
The description of this book states:
“Who Killed JFK?
When controversial talk show host, Paul Drury, is murdered, Lt. Columbo, America’s favourite TV detective, must unravel the mystery that has help the world’s attention for thirty years.
For someone has sabotaged the broadcast of Drury’s final show, which promised to expose JFL’s real assassin.”
Another description is:
“After the murder of controversial talk-show host Paul Drury, Lieutenant Columbo must unravel the thirty-year-old mystery of the assassination of President Kennedy, a crime whose perpetrator Drury had been about to expose on his final show.”
In this story not only does Columbo solve the case in hand but gives clear evidence in who assassinated JFK. In a story with Hollywood personalities, a Texan, and a crime boss connection to Vegas this story has a bit of everything. It was interesting to see him work closely with Martha Zimmer a detective Columbo appears to respect and trust. As someone who works in IT and was hand building computers at Stapes before this episode aired it was interesting to see who the technology of the day was written, dual computers with redundant drives, back up to over 200 micro diskettes. Also the incorporation of a virus that could do a DOD quality wipe of a disk. When I was in college we had a floppy with a program you could boot into and do the same sort of thing.
But watching Columbo pull all the threads and eliminate some suspects, raise deeper concerns about others, and finding other connections was just as fascinating as watching the show.
While researching for this review I discovered that there were also 6 Columbo novels in the 1970; 2 new stores and 4 novelizations of episodes and also a collection called The Columbo Collection of 12 stories by William Link. These 6 novels came out overlapping with the 6 of the last 8 episodes of the TV Movie Special Era. And if this one had been filmed I believe it would have been one of the most popular episodes of the series.
I great read for fans of the series or JFK buff’s and for those who just like a good mystery.
The description of this book states:
“Who Killed JFK?
When controversial talk show host, Paul Drury, is murdered, Lt. Columbo, America’s favourite TV detective, must unravel the mystery that has help the world’s attention for thirty years.
For someone has sabotaged the broadcast of Drury’s final show, which promised to expose JFL’s real assassin.”
Another description is:
“After the murder of controversial talk-show host Paul Drury, Lieutenant Columbo must unravel the thirty-year-old mystery of the assassination of President Kennedy, a crime whose perpetrator Drury had been about to expose on his final show.”
In this story not only does Columbo solve the case in hand but gives clear evidence in who assassinated JFK. In a story with Hollywood personalities, a Texan, and a crime boss connection to Vegas this story has a bit of everything. It was interesting to see him work closely with Martha Zimmer a detective Columbo appears to respect and trust. As someone who works in IT and was hand building computers at Stapes before this episode aired it was interesting to see who the technology of the day was written, dual computers with redundant drives, back up to over 200 micro diskettes. Also the incorporation of a virus that could do a DOD quality wipe of a disk. When I was in college we had a floppy with a program you could boot into and do the same sort of thing.
But watching Columbo pull all the threads and eliminate some suspects, raise deeper concerns about others, and finding other connections was just as fascinating as watching the show.
While researching for this review I discovered that there were also 6 Columbo novels in the 1970; 2 new stores and 4 novelizations of episodes and also a collection called The Columbo Collection of 12 stories by William Link. These 6 novels came out overlapping with the 6 of the last 8 episodes of the TV Movie Special Era. And if this one had been filmed I believe it would have been one of the most popular episodes of the series.
I great read for fans of the series or JFK buff’s and for those who just like a good mystery.
July 9, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. I will admit right up front that I am a fan of the Colombo TV series, and this book manages to capture the charm and humor that I found from the series. In this particular installment, Colombo must investigate the murder of a man who was obsessed with the Kennedy assassination. I enjoyed the way the author wove in historical detail with the modern case. I found the plot well worked out, and the ending was satisfying to me. I look forward to reading a few more books in this series, if only so I can imagine Colombo saying, "Just one more thing..."
May 7, 2014
I had already read and enjoyed the two original Columbo novels that came out in the seveneties, but this was the first book I've read in the ongoing series by William Harrington. It was easily my favorite Columbo book so far. The earlier novels were good, but Harrington captured the TV show perfectly. It was just like watching an episode. If you are a fan of the show, you'll enjoy this. As the title implies, the story had a lot to do with the Kennedy assassination. I have always been fascinated by that so that was a nice bonus. Very good read.
December 11, 2023
Well this brought back a few memories. And who knew there were books too? A TV talk show host in L.A., who is a tad unscrupulous, is found on the floor of his garage with some extra air conditioning in his head. His favourite subject to dissect on his show is the JFK assassination, and he was about to divulge some new evidence he'd discovered. Columbo arrives on the scene and begins some dissection of his own. The story is true to the 📺 series, as the lieutenant appears slow and confused as he gradually annoys his suspects into making crucial errors in judgement. A fun read if you ever followed the old show, as you can clearly imagine the characters and their antics. I also learned the detective never attended college. And neither did Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman or Sherlock Holmes.
March 12, 2016
Good, typical Columbo story with Columbo investigating the murder of a TV show host who's specialty was exposing embarrassing and provocative stories about celebrities and other sensational news items. This one centers on the 30 anniversary of the Kennedy assassination and the theory of a gunman on the grassy knoll.
In typical Columbo fashion, he quickly centers on the ex wife of the murder victim and goes through the usual routine of breaking down each suspects story to get to the truth. Eventually a mob connected family that owns a Los Vegas casino gets involved.
At the end, as inevitably happens, Columbo solves the case, and gets the murderer and her conspirators to confess.
In typical Columbo fashion, he quickly centers on the ex wife of the murder victim and goes through the usual routine of breaking down each suspects story to get to the truth. Eventually a mob connected family that owns a Los Vegas casino gets involved.
At the end, as inevitably happens, Columbo solves the case, and gets the murderer and her conspirators to confess.
August 14, 2020
What if everybody in Dealey Plaza was shooting at President Kennedy, but it was still Oswald? What if it's as easy to misrepresent the Zapruder film in 1993 as it was in 1963? What if the murder of the President is incidental to the murder of a talk-show host? etc
Ghost-written by the CIA most probably.
Ghost-written by the CIA most probably.
December 4, 2012
I've never watched this show but I've heard a lot about it. I can't say how close it is to the show itself, but I enjoyed Columbo and how he worked the case. Can't say I'm a fan of knowing who the killer was right off the bat, but there was enough mystery to keep me interested.
July 24, 2012
I miss Peter Falk. Columbo was one of my "non-sci-fi" and "non-horror" shows that I loved. This book was a pleasure to read. :o)
December 26, 2025
I read this book because the title and cover are amazing. It belongs in a museum. Amazing concept for a novel.
I am only half joking. It is absurd, but the core of the Columbo character is that he is an aloof disheveled man who gets into high stakes situations and does things that seem far beyond his capabilities. Logically, I can see why a writer would think this is an appropriate escalation of that premise. The biggest positive I can give is that Columbo does, for the most part, act how you would expect him to. Similar to some less than stellar episodes of the show, his presence alone can keep you engaged. Still, while it is serviceable in that department, my compliments do not go much further.
This entire review is marked spoilers because the ending is the book's biggest sin. It makes me unable to recommend the novel to even a hardcore Columbo fan, and I therefore must spoil it. Here it goes: Columbo does not solve the mystery. I assume this was to avoiding breaking the realism of the Columbo world. To this I would say: "who cares? Look at what you are writing". In a pulpy novel of this type the murder must be solved. It is as simple as that.
The long and short of it is this: a casino owner, whose business was affected by JFK's decisions, had the president killed. Paul Drury, a talk show host, came close to cracking this case. Unfortunately for Drury, his wife had debts at the aforementioned casino and was blackmailed into murdering him.
A few big problems here. First, it actually suggests that the second shooter was unrelated to the first, which makes the whole grand conspiracy feel rather small and nonsensical. Second, if they were able to successfully target a president, why do they need to go through all this trouble and leave such a paper trail just to get a small time celebrity like Drury? Third, and this one is quite hard to forgive, it seems too coincidental that his wife would just happen to owe debts to this casino, and that multiple shooters would fire at the same time for no particular reason on that day in 1963. Coincidence plays a large part in these events.
There are a few intriguing elements. I enjoy the idea that a hacky talk show host who regularly milks JFK's murder would actually stumble across the real solution and pay the price for it. Plus, you can tell Harrington knows quite a bit about the JFK murder and is able to dole out the details in the systematic and disconcerting way you would expect of a mystery novel.
I also think the idea that Columbo solves JFK's murder purely because he needs to in order to solve a less significant crime, implying he could have done so any time he wanted, is quite funny. It is a very exaggerated version of the character that makes him into some Sherlock Holmes level savant, but it's a bit of fun. Novels being used to explore different interpretations of classic characters is just fine to me, and it's "non canon" anyway.
That's about it for the positives. Sadly, the negatives are unforgiveable.
Besides the bad ending and nonsensical plot, Columbo uses AI photo enhancements to "solve" blurry photos. This is how he ultimately comes to all his most important conclusions. I suppose this must have been a new thing at the time the novel was written, but even given that context it still seems very boring. Surely even audiences at the time wanted Detective Columbo to solve the mystery, not a computer.
Some other elements also seem quite out of place in a Columbo story. He is interacting with women blackmailed into sex work and is flying over state lines to interrogate high level mobsters completely on his own. It comes off as somewhat grimy rather than adventurous.
As I've mentioned, the world feels very small. Columbo did not have to look far to find the most famous assassin of all time and the suspect is not a very physically dangerous man, nor does he have a wide network that poses any real threat to Columbo. This should be a thriller, but doesn't feel like one. Vegas seems empty, and the plot exceedingly simple.
Overall, I can't recommend the novel, but its existence is fascinating and the main character intriguing. I need to give it two stars just because I nearly read this cover to cover, and that's got to count for something. A huge Columbo fan will get a small amount of entertainment out of this.
I am only half joking. It is absurd, but the core of the Columbo character is that he is an aloof disheveled man who gets into high stakes situations and does things that seem far beyond his capabilities. Logically, I can see why a writer would think this is an appropriate escalation of that premise. The biggest positive I can give is that Columbo does, for the most part, act how you would expect him to. Similar to some less than stellar episodes of the show, his presence alone can keep you engaged. Still, while it is serviceable in that department, my compliments do not go much further.
This entire review is marked spoilers because the ending is the book's biggest sin. It makes me unable to recommend the novel to even a hardcore Columbo fan, and I therefore must spoil it. Here it goes: Columbo does not solve the mystery. I assume this was to avoiding breaking the realism of the Columbo world. To this I would say: "who cares? Look at what you are writing". In a pulpy novel of this type the murder must be solved. It is as simple as that.
The long and short of it is this: a casino owner, whose business was affected by JFK's decisions, had the president killed. Paul Drury, a talk show host, came close to cracking this case. Unfortunately for Drury, his wife had debts at the aforementioned casino and was blackmailed into murdering him.
A few big problems here. First, it actually suggests that the second shooter was unrelated to the first, which makes the whole grand conspiracy feel rather small and nonsensical. Second, if they were able to successfully target a president, why do they need to go through all this trouble and leave such a paper trail just to get a small time celebrity like Drury? Third, and this one is quite hard to forgive, it seems too coincidental that his wife would just happen to owe debts to this casino, and that multiple shooters would fire at the same time for no particular reason on that day in 1963. Coincidence plays a large part in these events.
There are a few intriguing elements. I enjoy the idea that a hacky talk show host who regularly milks JFK's murder would actually stumble across the real solution and pay the price for it. Plus, you can tell Harrington knows quite a bit about the JFK murder and is able to dole out the details in the systematic and disconcerting way you would expect of a mystery novel.
I also think the idea that Columbo solves JFK's murder purely because he needs to in order to solve a less significant crime, implying he could have done so any time he wanted, is quite funny. It is a very exaggerated version of the character that makes him into some Sherlock Holmes level savant, but it's a bit of fun. Novels being used to explore different interpretations of classic characters is just fine to me, and it's "non canon" anyway.
That's about it for the positives. Sadly, the negatives are unforgiveable.
Besides the bad ending and nonsensical plot, Columbo uses AI photo enhancements to "solve" blurry photos. This is how he ultimately comes to all his most important conclusions. I suppose this must have been a new thing at the time the novel was written, but even given that context it still seems very boring. Surely even audiences at the time wanted Detective Columbo to solve the mystery, not a computer.
Some other elements also seem quite out of place in a Columbo story. He is interacting with women blackmailed into sex work and is flying over state lines to interrogate high level mobsters completely on his own. It comes off as somewhat grimy rather than adventurous.
As I've mentioned, the world feels very small. Columbo did not have to look far to find the most famous assassin of all time and the suspect is not a very physically dangerous man, nor does he have a wide network that poses any real threat to Columbo. This should be a thriller, but doesn't feel like one. Vegas seems empty, and the plot exceedingly simple.
Overall, I can't recommend the novel, but its existence is fascinating and the main character intriguing. I need to give it two stars just because I nearly read this cover to cover, and that's got to count for something. A huge Columbo fan will get a small amount of entertainment out of this.
May 18, 2022
Case closed! The Kennedy mystery has been solved, thank you Lieutenant.
I enjoyed hanging out with Columbo: I’m not not that familiar with him other than my dad was a big fan of the Columbo TV show and I was big fan of the Columbo yogurt.
I’m working on a mystery novel myself and was curious how a mystery unfolds when the reader already knows who the murderer is. The answer is the motive becomes a mystery. This was a fun read. After about page 130 I was nervous how the story could sustain itself for another 150 pages and it did feel little too long but I enjoyed it.
I just moved to Alaska and really enjoy media tie in novels, at first I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to find them. But the public libraries in AK are connected and the library in Fairbanks, AK has a huge collection of media tie-in novels. Much like Balto, racing around mountains and snow, the Alaskan inter-library loan system delivers!
I enjoyed hanging out with Columbo: I’m not not that familiar with him other than my dad was a big fan of the Columbo TV show and I was big fan of the Columbo yogurt.
I’m working on a mystery novel myself and was curious how a mystery unfolds when the reader already knows who the murderer is. The answer is the motive becomes a mystery. This was a fun read. After about page 130 I was nervous how the story could sustain itself for another 150 pages and it did feel little too long but I enjoyed it.
I just moved to Alaska and really enjoy media tie in novels, at first I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to find them. But the public libraries in AK are connected and the library in Fairbanks, AK has a huge collection of media tie-in novels. Much like Balto, racing around mountains and snow, the Alaskan inter-library loan system delivers!
October 20, 2021
My 5th one of these I've read and loved them all. This one has a man who ran and starred in an interview show that talked alot about the Kennedy assassination named of Paul Drury. Drury was murdered and Columbo finds out that it had something to do with a show he was planning for the 30th anniversary of the assassination. A show that was going to tell who actually killed JFK.
Highly recommended, really do love all these books. They all have just the right voice that reminds you of Faulk and the role that he was made for.
Highly recommended, really do love all these books. They all have just the right voice that reminds you of Faulk and the role that he was made for.
April 10, 2024
По-перше, погоджусь із думкою, що книга добре втрапляє в атмосферу серіалу, хоч дії і відбуваються вже в '93 році. Оповідь некваплива, вбивця відомий із самого початку. Зазвичай, правда, і мотив відомий, що приводить мне до -
по-друге, шлях до мотиву такий заплутаний, винуватці радіють, що їх не простежити за ним. Але по факту автор накидав стільки основних вагомих тем, скільки ці триста сторінок не потребували. І краще було б основними залишити одну-дві, а другорядними закріпити, ніж напхати все-все хороше, що аж забагато.
по-друге, шлях до мотиву такий заплутаний, винуватці радіють, що їх не простежити за ним. Але по факту автор накидав стільки основних вагомих тем, скільки ці триста сторінок не потребували. І краще було б основними залишити одну-дві, а другорядними закріпити, ніж напхати все-все хороше, що аж забагато.
August 4, 2022
I'm really enjoying these old Columbo books because I love watching the Columbo reruns. Along with Agatha Christie's detective Hercules Poirot, Columbo is one of my favorite detective. I love watching (or reading) how the suspects are amused by Columbo's bumbling character and underestimate his sleuthing abilities. "Just one more thing..."
April 5, 2024
This was very interesting. It's a police procedural so don't expect a mystery, but if you've seen the show then that's not a surprise.
And if you have seen the show, then this book will be a very familiar experience. The author captured the essence of the show perfectly. I found it totally delightful. A quick read -- very hard to put down!
And if you have seen the show, then this book will be a very familiar experience. The author captured the essence of the show perfectly. I found it totally delightful. A quick read -- very hard to put down!
February 1, 2026
I'd like to think if Mr. Harrington was still around, he'd have written a 9/11 fanfiction by now, where Columbo finds out what a multi layered perceptron is.
To its credit, I will say that but unfortunately not a lot else going for this one I'm afraid.
To its credit, I will say that but unfortunately not a lot else going for this one I'm afraid.
May 10, 2021
While not really “solving” the JFK murder, the addition of that plot line made this a grander story than a traditional columbo episode. The author does a fantastic job of capturing all of Columbo’s classic traits. Given that, and add in the JFK conspiracy, it’s a fun page turner.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 5, 2024
clearly written by a super fan of the show, every detail of columbo's character is carefully put together from excerpts of peter falk's incredible performance, making this an endearing and uniquely familiar depiction of one of my favorite cozy detectives
January 21, 2026
The hook of "Columbo miiiight solve the Kennedy Assassination while investigating the murder of a Phil Donahue type talk show host" was too good to pass up when i came across this book in the stacks at the Los Angeles Public Library. Has the exact same vibes as the show. a fun read!
Want to read
November 17, 2018Synopsis: Lt. Colombo investigates a murder which occurred at the time of the 30th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination.
December 8, 2022
I still don't know who killed Kennedy smh
June 15, 2020
I was a big fan of the Columbo TV series, watching it as each episode came out as a young boy. When this novelization started appearing in the book stores back in the nineties, I ate them up. I mean "New Columbo"! How bad could it be? I remember loving them and not being able to find all the books in the series. When I found two the missing books in a used book store (weeks before the Covid-19 lock-down happened) I was determined to reread the ones I still had and read the two that I hadn't.
I must say, I really enjoyed this, even though it wasn't at all like I remembered it. I had this vague notion that although the series centred around famous criminal cases, it really didn't involve them. (I mean, first impression for most readers is "Grassy Knoll"! Columbo is going to solve the Kennedy Assassination!) I had no expectation that Columbo would solve the case, but enjoyed the way the surrounding historical events were presented to me.
William Harrington did his homework and produced something that almost resembles a transcription of an existing episode of the series. Beat for beat it rolled out the same way any show would have, and I found that the Columbo on the page and in my head was the same Columbo from the show I always loved (unlike the Robert Goldsborough version of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, who were pale shadows of their former selves under his guidance.)
Harrington doesn't merely mimic the show, but adds to the backstory. We have new side-characters that help move the story along where the TV series could have handled the storytelling visually, and we also learn a bit more about the central character. His love of Chili and disdain for fire-arms.
I really enjoyed this reread and am looking forward to the rest of the series.
I must say, I really enjoyed this, even though it wasn't at all like I remembered it. I had this vague notion that although the series centred around famous criminal cases, it really didn't involve them. (I mean, first impression for most readers is "Grassy Knoll"! Columbo is going to solve the Kennedy Assassination!) I had no expectation that Columbo would solve the case, but enjoyed the way the surrounding historical events were presented to me.
William Harrington did his homework and produced something that almost resembles a transcription of an existing episode of the series. Beat for beat it rolled out the same way any show would have, and I found that the Columbo on the page and in my head was the same Columbo from the show I always loved (unlike the Robert Goldsborough version of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, who were pale shadows of their former selves under his guidance.)
Harrington doesn't merely mimic the show, but adds to the backstory. We have new side-characters that help move the story along where the TV series could have handled the storytelling visually, and we also learn a bit more about the central character. His love of Chili and disdain for fire-arms.
I really enjoyed this reread and am looking forward to the rest of the series.
August 30, 2020
Likes: I enjoyed the way Columbo worked the case, which felt rather true to the show. I also continue to appreciate the degree to which Harrington fleshes out Columbo's personal life and backstory. While all the interactions with immediate family happen off screen, so to speak, I like knowing that Harrington's Columbo has a wife and grown kids, including a daughter that lives away from home. It keeps Columbo with us in a way that feels real and natural.
Dislikes: This was my third Harrington Columbo book (reading out of order) and I think I'd prefer if the stories weren't tied to a historical event/figure. Here it was the John F. Kennedy assassination. The historical tie-in or "kiss with history" as Quantum Leap's writers used to call it, always ends up feeling forced/way out of left field, in my opinion.
Aside: It was amusing to read a somewhat technology-centered story from 1993 given how far computer technology has advanced!
Dislikes: This was my third Harrington Columbo book (reading out of order) and I think I'd prefer if the stories weren't tied to a historical event/figure. Here it was the John F. Kennedy assassination. The historical tie-in or "kiss with history" as Quantum Leap's writers used to call it, always ends up feeling forced/way out of left field, in my opinion.
Aside: It was amusing to read a somewhat technology-centered story from 1993 given how far computer technology has advanced!
September 25, 2007
The Columbo books are nowhere near as fun as the show, but they were engaging enough.
May 25, 2011
Similar to the modern day Castle books.
August 6, 2016
This was so fun to read. I could hear his voice and picture his manerisms.
January 24, 2015
An enjoyable enough read for Columbo fans.
June 2, 2015
Good read for all Columbo fans. Ive already read the Helter Skelter and Hoffa Connection book. This fit in seamlessly.
April 24, 2017
After reading too many crime thrillers I find Columbo extremely relaxing but at the same time exciting. Difficult to put the book down. I absolutely loved it!!!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews