"Ben Jolson, a former member of
the galactic Chameleon Corps, doesn’t want to be a private investigator –he much
rather stay home and run his quiet antiques business. But fellow PI Lou
Killdozer gets himself killed on the biggest hellhole planet in the galaxy; it’s
up to Ben to investigate. For Ben can look like anything –and that’s helpful on
a world of catmen, toadmen, gollrilla men and luminous squirrels. But what starts
as a routine security case soon turns ugly, with a mysterious red-haired man
who is systematically cutting down the top executives of the fabulously profitable
Plazhartz Corporation. But the only Ben can get his killer is to pose as the
next victim..."
The prolific Ron Goulart
returned to the Ben Jolson character he first created for his 1968 debut novel,
The Sword Swallower (which continued with The Chameleon Corps and Other Shape
Changers in 1974, and Flux, also 1974). Those books
(and the many books that would follow) are set in a vast, space-opera universe
known as the Barnum System (with this late 1980s series, he also folded in his
Hellquad universe), a galaxy that is a bit helter-skelter, crazed and
balkanized. The planets of this system, where the Corps originates and
operates, are populated in large part by traditional comic stereotypes, most
which are deftly drawn.
It’s an absurdist
science fiction mystery, almost noir at certain points. As well, the book follows
the same basic premise and formula as many of his previous books, but he keeps
the chuckles and smirks coming so swiftly that it's hard to notice unless you
stop and really think about it.
I
originally read this series back when they were released, but lost them along
the way. I got them back through Thrift Books. The funny part, I don’t
remember anything about them. Still, it’s enjoyable, if more toned down than
some of his earlier books.
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