Fairy Tale Spotlight: Columbo: The Game Show Killer [Book Review]

[Very minor spoilers.]

I recently started looking through a very interesting list of used trade paperback books on the internet, and I had a silly idea while doing it. The idea was in the form of a question: Were there ever any Columbo books? The answer quite surprised me! There were indeed quite a few of them--every last one of them out of print. Luckily, they were still available, and I happily picked one out.

"Columbo: The Game Show Killer" is a book written by William Harrington and published back in 1996. Funny thing about that date: Most of the books I read are a lot older than that. I tend to read mostly classics, but there are times that more modern books catch my eye. I loved the title of this book, and I just had to know what it was all about.

Don't worry. I won't spoil much. I'd be a rotten person if I spoiled even a small part of a mystery book. But wait... is a Columbo story a mystery? Well... no. It really isn't. Columbo is first and foremost a detective story... not a mystery at all. The reason for this distinction is that they spoil the entire crime right at the beginning. There is no mystery. You know exactly what happened and how. Only... Columbo does not, and that's the thing. That's why it's a detective story. It's all about if and how he manages to figure out what you, the reader, already know.

Now, this is really a wonderful book, and I do need to give credit where it is due. The author, William Harrington, captured the formula and the man known as Columbo with precision. And it wasn't only that: he was a very straight forward writer who knew perfectly how to relate with his audience. I'm giving him some major props, because I had never even heard of the man before I read this book. William brings Columbo to life. I honestly feel even a little closer to this fictional character after reading it.

William understood that the little things in life matter. It's not always about the crime or how to solve it. It's about Columbo and what makes him tick. Why does he obsessively wear that dirty, old coat? Why can't he ever come up with a name for his dog? (He called it Dog with a capital D.) How come he refuses to get rid of his crappy, weird French automobile? These are all important in their own way. They make up the collective strangeness that forms into Columbo himself. And although these questions are not entirely answered, they are addressed in a way that charms us much in the way that he charms the criminals he's trying to pursue.

The plot of this book was great! As usual, the villain is high profile and a genius. This is the standard for anyone hoping to pick up the villain role in a Columbo story. They must have a demonic level of intellect and be in an incredibly large position of power in order to be taken seriously. The author did not disappoint, delivering a defense lawyer who organizes a murder with the intention of getting the murderer off Scott free through his genius legal manipulations. I won't say anything more than that, but his work as a villain was extraordinary.

I do highly recommend this book. There are copies of it still floating out there, all used. It captures the formula of the show but expounds on the man in ways only a book can. Bravo, William Harrison. I'll be looking for more gems from you in the future!

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