Keystone - by Peter Lovesey (Paperback)

About the Book

"A British vaudeville performer turned movie cop finds himself in a real-life crime story. It's 1916, and Warwick Easton's traveling show has landed him in California. Out of money and about to return to England, Easton gets lucky when silent movie star and "King of Comedy" Mack Sennett offers him a job performing slapstick comedy stunts as a Keystone Cop. At Keystone Film Studios, he runs into silent-era comedy legends, including Mabel Normand and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, but the laughs turn sour as things quickly start to go awry. Known in his new role only as "Keystone," Easton finds the line between cop and comedian starts to blur, especially when a series of tragedies strikes the studio. The gory death of a stunt actor on a roller coaster seems like an accident, but then a bludgeoned body is discovered in a bungalow and Amber Honeybee, the beautiful but troubled actress Easton has befriended, vanishes. Easton has no choice but to step into the role of a real detective. Does he have what it takes to unravel the mystery in time and save the girl? Set during the golden age of silent cinema, this is a whodunit with a sense of humor, written by one of the masters of the genre"--

Book Synopsis

In this witty standalone masterpiece set during the golden age of silent cinema, a British vaudeville performer turned movie cop finds himself in a real-life crime story.

It's 1916, and Warwick Easton's traveling show has landed him in California. Out of money and about to return to England, Easton gets lucky when silent movie star and "King of Comedy" Mack Sennett offers him a job performing slapstick comedy stunts as a Keystone Cop.

At Keystone Film Studios, he runs into silent-era comedy legends, including Mabel Normand and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, but the laughs turn sour as things quickly start to go awry. Known in his new role only as "Keystone," Easton finds the line between cop and comedian starts to blur, especially when a series of tragedies strikes the studio. The gory death of a stunt actor on a roller coaster seems like an accident, but then a bludgeoned body is discovered in a bungalow and Amber Honeybee, the beautiful but troubled actress Easton has befriended, vanishes. Easton has no choice but to step into the role of a real detective. Does he have what it takes to unravel the mystery in time and save the girl?

Review Quotes

Praise for Keystone

"Top marks for enjoyable charm."
--Mail on Sunday

"A witty fantasy set among real stars of the silent screen . . . Stylish as ever."
―The Sunday Telegraph

"A delightful tale that revolves dizzily around the gorgeous Miss Honeybee."
―Los Angeles Times

About the Author

Peter Lovesey (1936-2025) was the author of more than forty highly praised mystery novels, including the Peter Diamond investigations and the Sergeant Cribb investigations. He was honored with the two highest awards in mystery fiction, Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and the Cartier Diamond Dagger of the Crime Writers' Association, as well as many other international accolades. He lived in Shrewsbury, England.