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Rex Koko, Private Clown #1
دلقک خصوصی
دلقک خصوصی، بازتابی طنزآلود و خاکستری از آثار اساتید قدیم ژانر نوآر و بهنوعی پایهگذار ژانر «نوآرِ دلقکی» است. جیمز فین گارنر که پیش از این، اعجاز طنز سیاه را در یکی از پرفروشهای نیویورک تایمز «قصههای از نظر سیاسی بیضرر» به نمایش گذاشته بود، این بار با اثری نو بازگشته است.
216 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2011
9 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
James Finn Garner
50 books105 followersJames Finn Garner is an American writer and satirist based in Chicago.[1] He is the author of Politically Correct Bedtime Stories,[2] Tea Party Fairy Tales, and Honk Honk, My Darling.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
October 2, 2023
دلقکی که استخدام میشه تا یه کارآگاه خصوصی بشه و در عوضش پول خوبی بگیره. لحن کتاب ساده و بنظرم انگار یه شباهتایی به نثر بوکوفسکی داره.
یه دلقک وسط شهری که انگار هرج و مرج توش چیز عجیبی نیست و همه یبار یه سر به سیرک زدن و ماجراهای خاص خودشون رو اونجا داشتن. داستان کتاب ساده و بنظرم داستان سرگرم کنندهایی داره و البته یه رگه هایی از کمدی سیاه هم توش دیده میشه.
یه تکه از کتاب:
تبعیدو بزار واسه ناپلئون بناپارت. یه دلقک به مردم نیاز داره.
یه دلقک وسط شهری که انگار هرج و مرج توش چیز عجیبی نیست و همه یبار یه سر به سیرک زدن و ماجراهای خاص خودشون رو اونجا داشتن. داستان کتاب ساده و بنظرم داستان سرگرم کنندهایی داره و البته یه رگه هایی از کمدی سیاه هم توش دیده میشه.
یه تکه از کتاب:
تبعیدو بزار واسه ناپلئون بناپارت. یه دلقک به مردم نیاز داره.
November 28, 2019
از حاضر جوابی های دلقک بسیار لذت بردم....
December 10, 2011
It’s tough being a washed-up clown, especially in Top Town, a seedy township mostly populated by circus folk. Rex Koko, a clown with a past of more than a few mistakes, helps make ends meet with the occasional private investigation job. When a trapeze star hires Rex to look into his wife, the clown is soon dragged into a mess that’s no laughing matter. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like: clown noir.
With such an unusual premise, the immediate question is can a mystery reader actually take this book seriously? Yes, in fact they can. Bizarre premise aside, the novel does present us with an intelligent and somewhat dogged investigator following the a classic trail of bodies and questionable actions. The strong echo of the past masters of noir is only reinforced, despite the general circus culture background, by the use of an early-40s setting. There’s no internet background checks or cell phones around to help out poor Rex. While the fundamental mystery is perhaps not the most impressive or unusual I’ve ever encountered, it did provide sufficient tension to propel me forward. I also appreciated that though Rex seemed, for the most part, much more intelligent and thoughtful than many around him, he was far from being able to laugh off physical threats.
The true strength of the book though is the intricate attention to the mid-20th century circus culture. While I can’t claim to have a detailed knowledge of said culture and thus can’t comment on the accuracy of the depiction, the novel establishes a living, breathing and plausibly sleazy little slice of circus Americana complete with political corruption, job-based factions and its own sort of circus-based segregation. The juxtaposition between the various classic circus archetypes and their very real, and often petty, human nature heightens the dramatic impact of these various characters.
This intense attention to detail extends to language. Both the circus and 40s slang gets thick at times. Admittedly, it takes a bit of adjustment to get used to it at first, but once fully engaged it helps enhance the period atmosphere of the piece.
For a book focused on a clown, one might expect humor. There’s definitely a solid wit running throughout though Rex is more a master of deflating people with clever jokes than a pie. There are a few occasions where the book fully embraces its circus and clown nature and passes into an absurdity, depending on taste, a reader may either find sublime or ridiculous. In either event, those occasions certainly aren’t boring.
4 Stars
With such an unusual premise, the immediate question is can a mystery reader actually take this book seriously? Yes, in fact they can. Bizarre premise aside, the novel does present us with an intelligent and somewhat dogged investigator following the a classic trail of bodies and questionable actions. The strong echo of the past masters of noir is only reinforced, despite the general circus culture background, by the use of an early-40s setting. There’s no internet background checks or cell phones around to help out poor Rex. While the fundamental mystery is perhaps not the most impressive or unusual I’ve ever encountered, it did provide sufficient tension to propel me forward. I also appreciated that though Rex seemed, for the most part, much more intelligent and thoughtful than many around him, he was far from being able to laugh off physical threats.
The true strength of the book though is the intricate attention to the mid-20th century circus culture. While I can’t claim to have a detailed knowledge of said culture and thus can’t comment on the accuracy of the depiction, the novel establishes a living, breathing and plausibly sleazy little slice of circus Americana complete with political corruption, job-based factions and its own sort of circus-based segregation. The juxtaposition between the various classic circus archetypes and their very real, and often petty, human nature heightens the dramatic impact of these various characters.
This intense attention to detail extends to language. Both the circus and 40s slang gets thick at times. Admittedly, it takes a bit of adjustment to get used to it at first, but once fully engaged it helps enhance the period atmosphere of the piece.
For a book focused on a clown, one might expect humor. There’s definitely a solid wit running throughout though Rex is more a master of deflating people with clever jokes than a pie. There are a few occasions where the book fully embraces its circus and clown nature and passes into an absurdity, depending on taste, a reader may either find sublime or ridiculous. In either event, those occasions certainly aren’t boring.
4 Stars
October 10, 2011
This is the story of a clown, down on his luck, now working as a detective. He has been tasked with finding the wife of one of the high fliers. Then the bodies start piling up....
This is the first time I have read a 'clown noir' and I hope it will not be the last. I found it to be achingly funny. It reads like a 'gumshoe' novel but set in the fictional town of Top Town which is where all the circus folk live. It reminded me a little bit of 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' in its approach. The characters were all larger than life and had fantastic names. The story was well paced, and a great page turner.
If you have never read a book like this you are missing a treat. I urge you to give it a go, you won't be disappointed.
This is the first time I have read a 'clown noir' and I hope it will not be the last. I found it to be achingly funny. It reads like a 'gumshoe' novel but set in the fictional town of Top Town which is where all the circus folk live. It reminded me a little bit of 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?' in its approach. The characters were all larger than life and had fantastic names. The story was well paced, and a great page turner.
If you have never read a book like this you are missing a treat. I urge you to give it a go, you won't be disappointed.
April 15, 2013
Great story, in a unique genre. Film noir meets...circus??
Wonderful characters from the bygone era of gumshoes, but this gumshoe wears size 42s. Revenge is sweet, so this story is the equivalent of a candy store/House of Pies, if you catch my drift.
I recommend this book. Short and intriguing. Nicely done, Mr. Garner.
Wonderful characters from the bygone era of gumshoes, but this gumshoe wears size 42s. Revenge is sweet, so this story is the equivalent of a candy store/House of Pies, if you catch my drift.
I recommend this book. Short and intriguing. Nicely done, Mr. Garner.
August 15, 2019
چقدر سر این کتاب تنبلی کردم تا تموم شد :/
طنز خیلی خوبی داره، جوری که مثلا داری کتابو میخونی و توی حساس ترین موقعیتا یه دفعه میزنی زیر خنده :))))
در کل میشه گفت میان وعده ی کتابی خیلی خوبیه با توجه به حجمش :)
طنز خیلی خوبی داره، جوری که مثلا داری کتابو میخونی و توی حساس ترین موقعیتا یه دفعه میزنی زیر خنده :))))
در کل میشه گفت میان وعده ی کتابی خیلی خوبیه با توجه به حجمش :)
June 8, 2012
Please write more sir, cus I was greatly entertained! -<| :0)
February 11, 2016
Hilarious and engaging plot with plenty of action. It incorporates lots of delightful circus lingo and fun characters. Some of the dialogue I wanted to read aloud to better enjoy the snappy patter.
August 1, 2019
دنیای دلقکها و آکروباتبازها رو میشه تو این کتاب تجربه کرد. ولی نه با یه دلقکِ تکراری و عامهپسند، دلقکی که شخصیت خاص و دردسرهای خاص خودشو داره.
July 12, 2018
I met the author at a Chicago Writers' Association event, where he read an excerpt from the third book in the series. I thought it was very funny, so I bought #1 to try it out. #2 and #3 will soon be in my shopping basket.
Honk Honk My Darling is a parody of hard-boiled crime novels. It's set in a neighborhood of east coast US port city during the later part of WWII. Rex Koko is a clown. He's also a private detective. This is not as weird as it might be because the neighborhood he works in is populated by circus performers between traveling gigs. Rex gets hired to find the wife of a "flyer" (trapeze artist) who's gone missing. In true hard-boiled style, our hard-drinking clown-detective starts to accumulate bodies and bruises.
This is more of a novella then a novel, so it's a quick and breezy read. The story has the right mixture of humor and seriousness, while being true to the character style of hard-boiled fiction. It's not great literature, but it's a fun read presented in a professional manner.
Honk Honk My Darling is a parody of hard-boiled crime novels. It's set in a neighborhood of east coast US port city during the later part of WWII. Rex Koko is a clown. He's also a private detective. This is not as weird as it might be because the neighborhood he works in is populated by circus performers between traveling gigs. Rex gets hired to find the wife of a "flyer" (trapeze artist) who's gone missing. In true hard-boiled style, our hard-drinking clown-detective starts to accumulate bodies and bruises.
This is more of a novella then a novel, so it's a quick and breezy read. The story has the right mixture of humor and seriousness, while being true to the character style of hard-boiled fiction. It's not great literature, but it's a fun read presented in a professional manner.
November 19, 2023
This was fun, a nice nod to noir detective novels. Some of the gimmicks got old after a bit, but I still found it funny. The ending came out of nowhere, and I'm not sure if that was intentional as many books of that genre seem to suffer from that problem, or if it was unintentional... I really hope it was intentional.
Top Town is a section of a city where washed up circus performers go. The live, hand out and even still perform in this place which is often overlooked by politicians, unless they are looking for someone to take the blame for something. Rex is a washed up, alcoholic clown (reminds me of Shakes the Clown) who moonlights as a private detective.
If you were ever in the circus, or are at least circus adjacent, I think you'd get a really kick out of this book. I don't think I'm compelled enough to read book 2, but I had fun reading this one.
Top Town is a section of a city where washed up circus performers go. The live, hand out and even still perform in this place which is often overlooked by politicians, unless they are looking for someone to take the blame for something. Rex is a washed up, alcoholic clown (reminds me of Shakes the Clown) who moonlights as a private detective.
If you were ever in the circus, or are at least circus adjacent, I think you'd get a really kick out of this book. I don't think I'm compelled enough to read book 2, but I had fun reading this one.
December 4, 2018
پاييز ٩٧
فوق العاده بي معني ، بي سر و ته و بي مزه
ترجمه هم كه... اهالي دوقوزآباد سلفي! اين عبارت ديگه بومي سازي ترجمه است رسما!
كتاب فوق العاده ضعيفي بود با عباراتي كه نويسنده فك كرده خيلي زيبان مثلا
ساختمان هاي شهر همانطور كه يك پيرزن دوست پسر نزديك بينش را ارج مي نهد طلوع آفتاب را شاكر بودند.
بعضي جملات به اندازه اي بي معني اند كه ذهن ناخودآگاه فكر ميكنه خيلي شاعرانه و ادبي ان و ازشون رد ميشه در حاليكه هيچ معنايي ندارن؛ چند بار اين جمله رو بخونين مي بينين نه طنزه نه توصيفه نه هيچي فقط بازي با كلمات بي ربط
December 19, 2025
کتاب رو میتونستی مثل یه فیلم کمدی اکشن جنایی تصویرسازی کنی
ترجمه روون، شوخی های بامزه، حاضرجوابی های دلقک
دلقکی که استخدام میشه تا زن اکروبات باز رو پیدا کنه،
اما متوجه میشه وارد تسویه حساب شخصی یکی از افراد سیرک از سه اکروبات باز شده که در نهایت همهشون رو میکشه
ترجمه روون، شوخی های بامزه، حاضرجوابی های دلقک
دلقکی که استخدام میشه تا زن اکروبات باز رو پیدا کنه،
اما متوجه میشه وارد تسویه حساب شخصی یکی از افراد سیرک از سه اکروبات باز شده که در نهایت همهشون رو میکشه
September 10, 2016
This was an excellent read. It reminded me of the old time detective stories from the forties and fifties. It was well paced, well thought out, and the characters were complex. This eBook was professionally written and edited. This makes all the difference to a writer and their work. I can't stress that enough. This was a thoroughly professional job. Therefore, it was a terrific read. The pace was was great, the questions, and twists perfectly arranged. It was also very humorous. I would read more of this author's work and highly recommend this book.
July 10, 2020
Rex Koko is a washed-up circus clown turned private detective, though not by choice. The series by James Finn Garner is a WWII-era story that follows the “career” of the reluctant, wise-cracking Rex who has quite the reputation to avoid but can’t quite shake. Think of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” but instead of toons, everyone is – or was – a circus act.
Read my full review of the Rex Koko series (including Honk, Honk, My Darling; Double Indignity, and The Wet Nose of Danger) at The Nerd Cantina:
https://thenerdcantina.com/rex-koko-p...
Read my full review of the Rex Koko series (including Honk, Honk, My Darling; Double Indignity, and The Wet Nose of Danger) at The Nerd Cantina:
https://thenerdcantina.com/rex-koko-p...
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews