The corpse wore pasties

“In other words, it’s all true except for the stuff I lied about.” Best regards, Porkpie

That’s Jonny Porkpie, “known to audiences as the Burlesque Mayor of New York City.” And the primary suspect in a murder investigation!

A “homicidal ecdysiast” is on the loose! (if you don’t know what an ecdysiast is, look it up! I had to.)

“She was a plagiarist to the end. She even stole someone else’s death.”

The narrator’s voice is smarmy and smug and his self-aggrandizing point-of-view grated on me more and more as I turned the pages. I was definitely rooting against him.

This was lots of fun. The killer's identity was not that hard to figure out, but the dialogue and atmosphere made up for that.

"So here's how I wound up running at top speed across the Brooklyn Bridge, half-naked, in the middle of the night, pursued by all five members of a heavy metal band."

The author, who bills himself as "The Burlesque Mayor of New York City", is the central character in this novel of the on-stage death of a burlesque performer. None of the other performers on the same bill are that upset when, as part of her act, Victoria Vice takes a swig from a bottle marked "poison" and instantly dies in front of the audience. Victoria was the most hated person backstage, due to her prolific habit of stealing acts from other performers, and that night's line-up was a who's who of performers Victoria had plagiarized. All those suspects, but the police are only interested in Jonny Porkpie, the guy who handed Victoria the bottle on cue.

There are some well-done bits, like the tension backstage or a foot chase that ends show more with Porkpie turning into Bond in his escape. Overall, it got slogged down with Porkpie being forced to carry out his own investigation because the NYPD are portrayed as stupid to the point of functioning idiots, his suspects being a string of sexy women who are constantly exposing themselves (he interviews one murder suspect as she gives him a lap dance), and the lame "I'm pretending I'm in a noir movie" quips don't stop. I didn't hate it, but it's just too precious for me. 2.8 stars show less

Once the title and the cover art capture your attention, you know that this is going to be a book you have to take a look at. The only possible hesitation has got to be the author's name. It sounds like a silly made- up name. That's probably because it is. Jonny Porkpie is the actual stage name of a performer and producer in New York's neo-burlesque scene. He is also a character that bills himself as the Burlesque Mayor of NYC and has actually run for NY mayor as recently as 2013. And, he can actually write a book that's lots of fun to read. The book is an easy read and is told in a fairly humorous narrative voice.

The Corpse Wore Pasties takes place on the stages and in the dressing rooms of New York's burlesque theaters. It is peopled show more with such characters as Cherries Jubilee, Victoria Vice, Jillian Knockers, Angelina Blood, and Eva Desire. All the performers hate Victoria passionately because she steals their acts. However, when she takes the stage and downs a prop bottle labelled poison and ends up writhing in convulsions on the floor, they all become suspects. And, the chief suspect is none other than Jonny Porkpie and his trademark hat. As an amateur, Porkpie sets out to solve the mystery and clear his name. Although this is not a traditional hardboiled crime novel, it is a fun romp through the burlesque stages of New York As well as across the Brooklyn Bridge. show less

The Corpse Wore Pasties was a fun, quick read. Jonny Porkpie (the author and protagonist of the story) attempts to uncover the murderess and clear his name. It's a typical mystery/crime story in which the wrongly accused has to do the police's job for them, getting into all sorts of misadventures in the end, finally fingers the bad guy, and all is right with the world. What sets this book apart is the murder and investigation takes place wholly within the burlesque scene of New York City.

The narrator and main character (and author) is one Jonny Porkpie, MC and comedian for local burlesque shows. He's pleasantly scarcastic with an lighthearted voice that makes for an entertaining read. At times the jokes were a bit trite, and sometimes show more the events were unrealistic, but given the pace and humorous tone of the story, it was all easily overlooked.

Don't expect a hard, gritty tale of evil and woe in the big apple, because you won't find it here. This little book would be best suited to those looking for a pleasant (if slightly bawdy) afternoon escape. It's innovative enough to catch your attention, but not so much that it breaks any of the "rules" of the "who done it" style story--all in all a fun read. show less

The Corpse Wore Pasties is much like a book you would expect, based on the title. The book appears to be Jonny Porkpie's first, and relies heavily on his knowledge of neo-burlesque. It's not stripping, by the way--you'll get the semantic education first-hand as you read. As a result of being a first-time book, the mystery and action comes off as standard and uninspired, but the environment is quiet interesting and the humor, thankfully, doesn't bother with sophistication. I wish Hard Case Crime was publishing more unknown writers like Porkpie or Crista Faust, but it appears that the series is slowing down.

Cute. Members of the New York burlesque scene will likely amuse themselves with the in-jokes and thinly veiled (or blatant) people and places. Readers not involved in burlesque may find it less appealing. Entertaining, but amateurish.