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Toby Peters #16
The Melting Clock
A prank by a flamboyant Spanish artist could cost Toby Peters his lifeAn ax-wielding monk hacks at the door. Toby Peters is on the other side, running as fast as his recently broken leg will allow. Alongside him is Salvador Dalí, dressed in a rabbit suit, insistently muttering “grasshoppers” as they try to make their escape. Dalí insists on being carried across the lawn, so Peters hobbles along with the surrealist in his arms. They get in the car just as the monk chops down the front door. The car doesn’t start, and the monk charges silently, the ax in the air. This is not the strangest thing that has happened to Toby Peters this week. Life has been odd ever since the call came from Dalí’s wife. Peters, suffering from post–New Year’s malaise, was happy to look into the theft of three of Dalí’s paintings. He had no idea that the investigation might end with his face being turned into abstract art.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1991
25 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Stuart M. Kaminsky
161 books215 followersStuart M. Kaminsky wrote 50 published novels, 5 biographies, 4 textbooks and 35 short stories. He also has screenwriting credits on four produced films including ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, ENEMY TERRITORY, A WOMAN IN THE WIND and HIDDEN FEARS. He was a past president of the Mystery Writers of America and was nominated for six prestigious Edgar Allen Poe Awards including one for his short story “Snow” in 1999. He won an Edgar for his novel A COLD RED SUNRISE, which was also awarded the Prix De Roman D’Aventure of France. He was nominated for both a Shamus Award and a McCavity Readers Choice Award.
Kaminsky wrote several popular series including those featuring Lew Fonesca, Abraham Lieberman, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, and Toby Peters. He also wrote two original "Rockford Files " novels. He was the 50th annual recipient of the Grandmaster 2006 for Lifetime Achievement from the Mystery Writers of America.
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2007.
His nonfiction books including BASIC FILMMAKING, WRITING FOR TELEVISION, AMERICAN FILM GENRES, and biographies of GARY COOPER, CLINT EASTWOOD, JOHN HUSTON and DON SIEGEL. BEHIND THE MYSTERY was published by Hot House Press in 2005 and nominated by Mystery Writers of America for Best Critical/Biographical book in 2006.
Kaminsky held a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in English from The University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Speech from Northwestern University where he taught for 16 years before becoming a Professor at Florida State. where he headed the Graduate Conservatory in Film and Television Production. He left Florida State in 1994 to pursue full-time writing.
Kaminsky and his wife, Enid Perll, moved to St. Louis, Missouri in March 2009 to await a liver transplant to treat the hepatitis he contracted as an army medic in the late 1950s in France. He suffered a stroke two days after their arrival in St. Louis, which made him ineligible for a transplant. He died on October 9, 2009.
Kaminsky wrote several popular series including those featuring Lew Fonesca, Abraham Lieberman, Inspector Porfiry Petrovich Rostnikov, and Toby Peters. He also wrote two original "Rockford Files " novels. He was the 50th annual recipient of the Grandmaster 2006 for Lifetime Achievement from the Mystery Writers of America.
Received the Shamus Award, "The Eye" (Lifetime achievement award) in 2007.
His nonfiction books including BASIC FILMMAKING, WRITING FOR TELEVISION, AMERICAN FILM GENRES, and biographies of GARY COOPER, CLINT EASTWOOD, JOHN HUSTON and DON SIEGEL. BEHIND THE MYSTERY was published by Hot House Press in 2005 and nominated by Mystery Writers of America for Best Critical/Biographical book in 2006.
Kaminsky held a B.S. in Journalism and an M.A. in English from The University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in Speech from Northwestern University where he taught for 16 years before becoming a Professor at Florida State. where he headed the Graduate Conservatory in Film and Television Production. He left Florida State in 1994 to pursue full-time writing.
Kaminsky and his wife, Enid Perll, moved to St. Louis, Missouri in March 2009 to await a liver transplant to treat the hepatitis he contracted as an army medic in the late 1950s in France. He suffered a stroke two days after their arrival in St. Louis, which made him ineligible for a transplant. He died on October 9, 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 8, 2025
In the Toby Peters series, author Kaminsky wants to give us a lot of action and mystery but he also wants to provide a picture of what Hollywood and Los Angeles were like through the Great Depression and World War II years.
Salvatore Dali has retreated to the USA during WW II. He is living with “friends” in Southern California and some pieces including several paintings have gone missing. He asks around and someone recommends Toby Peters to investigate.
Here is an easy way to determine if Kaminsky’s approach is right for you. This is Toby’s first encounter with Dali:
"I looked up. Dali stood at the top of the stairs dressed in a clown’s outfit, a big floppy red suit with puffy white buttons, oversized slap-shoes. He wore no makeup. He didn’t need any. I watched him come down the stairs and enter. It wasn’t a bad entrance as entrances go, but I’ve lived in and around Hollywood for almost half a century and I’d served security stints when I was with Warner Brothers and on my own. My favorite was the night Thelma Todd walked into a Victor McLaglin party, took off her white mink coat, and revealed one hell of a beautiful nude body. She looked down as if her having nothing on was a complete surprise. I was at the door, backing up the butler to keep out crashers. I saw Thelma Todd from behind. Dali in a clown suit didn’t come close…
"“You need money?” he asked, pointing his chin at me. “You want to work?”
“It’s either that or learn to barter,” I said. “And I’ve got nothing to trade with.”
“I like you, Peters,” he said with an accent that couldn’t decide whether it was French or Spanish. “You have the face of a peasant.”
“Thank you,” I said."
Toby must be Kaminsky’s favorite “schlimazel”. In this episode, Toby admits, “I give myself very good advice, but I seldom follow it.” *
*(credit Lewis Carroll)
Here is an example: "“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here. Hey, how about I pick up the kids, all three of them, after school on Wednesday?” “You’re not taking Lucy anywhere,” Phil growled. “I’ll watch her.” My eyes met Phil’s and I could see the accusation. He sat there, creeping fast toward sixty, with three kids, a sick wife, and a mortgage. He looked at me with a history of half a century of my screwing up. “Trust me,” I said. “I do,” said Ruth, touching my arm. “You come and get them after school Wednesday.”"
As I read, I began to question Kaminsky’s choice of “guest.” He obviously did a lot of research into Salvatore Dali’s life and time in Southern California, but Dali still emerges as a barely two-dimensional prop for this plot.
Still we get some interesting background to Toby’s eccentric family and great descriptions of places such as, The Farraday, his place of work.
"The Farraday was silent and I was in no hurry. I had about five hours till midnight and a puzzle to work on. I didn’t think I’d solve it. I took the elevator, an ornate wire cage from the days of Diamond Jim Brady. The elevator never quite came awake. It moved slowly upward in a swaying daze. Usually I walked. On the way up I looked through the chipped gilt mesh at the offices on each floor where lies were sold. You want a lie to believe in? The Farraday was the place for it. Want to become a movie star? There were four agents in the Farraday. Want to sue everyone who ever told you the truth about yourself? You had a choice of lawyers, almost one to every floor. Did you want to think you were irresistible? Escort services for ladies and gents were on the second and fifth floor. Want to think you’re beautiful? Choice of two photographers, one of which was Maurice, Photographer to the Stars. The other was Josh Copeland, Glamour Portraits at a Reasonable Price. Bookies, pornographers, doctors of everything from throat to stomach, a single dentist—Sheldon Minck—who sold the promise of a winning smile and perpetual Sen-Sen breath. And then there was me on the sixth floor, where the elevator came to a jerky stop. I sold the lie that there was always one last chance when all reasonable attempts to solve your problems failed. Sometimes, usually because it was easy or I was lucky, I actually helped a client. I pushed open the hinged metal doors and heard their clang echo down the halls and into the lobby below. I took a step toward the “suite” I shared with Sheldon Minck, D.D.S., S.D. (The S.D. was Shelly’s invention. It meant either “Special Dentist” or “Superb Dentures” or whatever he thought up that week.)"
I’m going to give this series a rest for a while.
Salvatore Dali has retreated to the USA during WW II. He is living with “friends” in Southern California and some pieces including several paintings have gone missing. He asks around and someone recommends Toby Peters to investigate.
Here is an easy way to determine if Kaminsky’s approach is right for you. This is Toby’s first encounter with Dali:
"I looked up. Dali stood at the top of the stairs dressed in a clown’s outfit, a big floppy red suit with puffy white buttons, oversized slap-shoes. He wore no makeup. He didn’t need any. I watched him come down the stairs and enter. It wasn’t a bad entrance as entrances go, but I’ve lived in and around Hollywood for almost half a century and I’d served security stints when I was with Warner Brothers and on my own. My favorite was the night Thelma Todd walked into a Victor McLaglin party, took off her white mink coat, and revealed one hell of a beautiful nude body. She looked down as if her having nothing on was a complete surprise. I was at the door, backing up the butler to keep out crashers. I saw Thelma Todd from behind. Dali in a clown suit didn’t come close…
"“You need money?” he asked, pointing his chin at me. “You want to work?”
“It’s either that or learn to barter,” I said. “And I’ve got nothing to trade with.”
“I like you, Peters,” he said with an accent that couldn’t decide whether it was French or Spanish. “You have the face of a peasant.”
“Thank you,” I said."
Toby must be Kaminsky’s favorite “schlimazel”. In this episode, Toby admits, “I give myself very good advice, but I seldom follow it.” *
*(credit Lewis Carroll)
Here is an example: "“I’m sorry I couldn’t get here. Hey, how about I pick up the kids, all three of them, after school on Wednesday?” “You’re not taking Lucy anywhere,” Phil growled. “I’ll watch her.” My eyes met Phil’s and I could see the accusation. He sat there, creeping fast toward sixty, with three kids, a sick wife, and a mortgage. He looked at me with a history of half a century of my screwing up. “Trust me,” I said. “I do,” said Ruth, touching my arm. “You come and get them after school Wednesday.”"
As I read, I began to question Kaminsky’s choice of “guest.” He obviously did a lot of research into Salvatore Dali’s life and time in Southern California, but Dali still emerges as a barely two-dimensional prop for this plot.
Still we get some interesting background to Toby’s eccentric family and great descriptions of places such as, The Farraday, his place of work.
"The Farraday was silent and I was in no hurry. I had about five hours till midnight and a puzzle to work on. I didn’t think I’d solve it. I took the elevator, an ornate wire cage from the days of Diamond Jim Brady. The elevator never quite came awake. It moved slowly upward in a swaying daze. Usually I walked. On the way up I looked through the chipped gilt mesh at the offices on each floor where lies were sold. You want a lie to believe in? The Farraday was the place for it. Want to become a movie star? There were four agents in the Farraday. Want to sue everyone who ever told you the truth about yourself? You had a choice of lawyers, almost one to every floor. Did you want to think you were irresistible? Escort services for ladies and gents were on the second and fifth floor. Want to think you’re beautiful? Choice of two photographers, one of which was Maurice, Photographer to the Stars. The other was Josh Copeland, Glamour Portraits at a Reasonable Price. Bookies, pornographers, doctors of everything from throat to stomach, a single dentist—Sheldon Minck—who sold the promise of a winning smile and perpetual Sen-Sen breath. And then there was me on the sixth floor, where the elevator came to a jerky stop. I sold the lie that there was always one last chance when all reasonable attempts to solve your problems failed. Sometimes, usually because it was easy or I was lucky, I actually helped a client. I pushed open the hinged metal doors and heard their clang echo down the halls and into the lobby below. I took a step toward the “suite” I shared with Sheldon Minck, D.D.S., S.D. (The S.D. was Shelly’s invention. It meant either “Special Dentist” or “Superb Dentures” or whatever he thought up that week.)"
I’m going to give this series a rest for a while.
July 26, 2023
Once you get past every joke revolving around surrealism, then it’s completely fine.
March 22, 2022
Another great, fun adventure for Toby.
Salvador Dali needs help. Someone stole a painting that can never be seen, it would destroy his reputation. And the thief is playing games. Then the bodies start showing up.
Jeremy, the giant ex-wrestler, current poet, along with Gunther, the diminutive Swiss translator and gentlemen accompany and assist Toby, while Sheldon, the dentist he shares office space with, continues to be a problem to manage.
Salvador Dali needs help. Someone stole a painting that can never be seen, it would destroy his reputation. And the thief is playing games. Then the bodies start showing up.
Jeremy, the giant ex-wrestler, current poet, along with Gunther, the diminutive Swiss translator and gentlemen accompany and assist Toby, while Sheldon, the dentist he shares office space with, continues to be a problem to manage.
February 25, 2019
Super funny. I loved the portrayal of Dalí and Gala
March 29, 2025
Very enjoyable even though there's no Hollywood connection for a change
As much as I love solitary protagonists like Philip Marlowe, large casts of supporting characters in a detective series can be fun too and Toby Peters' extended family of eccentrics is among the very best. Performance artist um artist Salvadore Dali is the client this time around and author Kaminsky does his usual excellent job integrating a real life celebrity into a fictional setting with the highlight here being a meeting between the highly unconventional Dali and Toby's frequently incoherent landlady Mrs. Plaut.
This is another winning entry from an excellent mystery series that will go down very well with a Pepsi and a plate full of Manny's tacos.
As much as I love solitary protagonists like Philip Marlowe, large casts of supporting characters in a detective series can be fun too and Toby Peters' extended family of eccentrics is among the very best. Performance artist um artist Salvadore Dali is the client this time around and author Kaminsky does his usual excellent job integrating a real life celebrity into a fictional setting with the highlight here being a meeting between the highly unconventional Dali and Toby's frequently incoherent landlady Mrs. Plaut.
This is another winning entry from an excellent mystery series that will go down very well with a Pepsi and a plate full of Manny's tacos.
October 20, 2024
The Melting Clock, number 16 in Stuart Kaminsky’s Toby Peters series, was an entertaining read but not one of the strongest entries in the Hollywood detective’s casebook. Dali and his wife Gala wear out their welcome early on for me with their strained craziness.
I did enjoy Toby’s return to the dangerous town of Mirador, California and another encounter with the courtly Sheriff Nelson. Gunther, Shelley, Mrs. Plaut, Jeremy and Alice all get comic and/or heroic moments in the book and Toby runs around a lot and gets injured repeatedly.
The story contains some tender and poignant moments with brother Phil’s family, showcasing Kaminsky’s range as a writer.
Recommended.
I did enjoy Toby’s return to the dangerous town of Mirador, California and another encounter with the courtly Sheriff Nelson. Gunther, Shelley, Mrs. Plaut, Jeremy and Alice all get comic and/or heroic moments in the book and Toby runs around a lot and gets injured repeatedly.
The story contains some tender and poignant moments with brother Phil’s family, showcasing Kaminsky’s range as a writer.
Recommended.
May 19, 2022
By the 16th book in the series you know the formula. Guest this time is Salvador Dali. Someone has stolen several of his paintings and he wants them returned. Again bodies pile up and as usual Toby is one of the suspects.
April 15, 2021
(It's high dissertation time and I ain't writing much; it was perfectly charming)
April 28, 2021
This is far from my favorite Toby Peters adventure. It just didn't work very well for me, with forced plot twists.
September 20, 2021
This one was a little too crazy for me, although I am a fan of the artwork of Salvador Dali. Not one of the better Toby Peters stories.
August 2, 2023
Exactly what one would expect from a Toby Peters case.
June 16, 2024
O cliente do nosso herói é desta feita o pintor, Salvador Dalí em todo seu seu esplendor surrealista.
January 8, 2026
This time, Toby takes on Surrealism and Dali himself. Delightful!
June 4, 2016
Toby Peters is working for Salvador Daly in this book. A good, entertaining, light read with surrealist decorations. His family relations improve under stress. His friends come to the rescue again.
August 16, 2009
Good; Continuing character: Toby Peters; with Salvador Dali as his client this time, the story gets pretty surreal and confusing as paintings and clocks are trying to be retrieved
Want to read
November 24, 2012Set in Holywood January 1943 & written in film noir style. Toby comes across painter of the surreal Salvador Dali. Treasure is missing & bodies are piling up...
February 27, 2014
Very funny. Very entertaining. One of Kaminsky's best.
August 11, 2013
The conversations with Dali were hilarious!
May 15, 2016
I really wanted to like it. characters were just weird and the story was not very interesting.
July 19, 2016
This was the funniest of the Toby Peter's books that I have read.
July 15, 2010
Toby Peters w/Salvador Dali
The story line is almost as surreal as the artist.
The story line is almost as surreal as the artist.
April 7, 2012
Toby Peters is hired by Salvadore Dali to find stolen paintings and clocks
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews