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Jonathan Geffner
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While the Village Sleeps Kindle Edition

by Jonathan Geffner (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.1 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
A new genre is born..."DUMMY NOIR!" The groundbreaking, twisting, suspenseful, hilarious mystery novel - While the Village Sleeps - answers the burning question, "Can a dummy find justice in a human world?"

Private Investigator Van Trillo has a talented side-kick: his wooden partner, Sam Suede. Trillo's habit of using ventriloquism on suspects works like a charm. Nervous and disoriented, they unwittingly and unwillingly divulge information about their crimes.

Trillo is about to leave England for his native New York City when he gets a desperate call for help from his old flame, the beautiful English actress, Chloe Lake. She has received anonymous death threats, and is terrified. Trillo, Suede and Chloe end up in an old, remote, creepy inn, located near the village of World's End, England. Then, one by one, the various eccentric guests at the inn are murdered. Each of the surviving guests quickly becomes a suspect when possible motives are brought to light under Trillo and Suede's clever questioning.

Only problem is, Trillo is now suspicious that his ventriloquist skills have breathed life into Suede, who now seems able to talk without Trillo's assistance. Strangely, though, Suede only seems to do this when he and Trillo are alone. Will Trillo and Suede catch the crafty, mad and elusive murderer before they are murdered as well - and before Trillo goes totally mad himself?

Watch a four minute Intro Video to the Trillo & Suede characters here...
youtube.com/watch?v=WkVlkIEewcI
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  1. Print length
    303 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    January 12, 2014
  4. File size
    2.3 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jonathan Geffner is a professional ventriloquist, as well as a pianist, screenwriter, Yiddish teacher/translator, martial artist and a few other things. For Tina Fey's 2013 movie, Admission, he taught Tina's co-star, Nat Wolff, how to play a ventriloquist. 

Having written a few feature film screenplays featuring the ventriloquist/dummy detective duo of Trillo & Suede, Jonathan tried for a number of years to find funding to produce them as independent films. Several times the funding seemed to be nearly in his grasp, only to see it disappear each time into the Indie Film Makers' Twilight Zone. While the Village Sleeps is a novelized version of one of those screenplays. Jonathan believes it works very well as a novel and hopes that you will agree. Please take a few minutes to write a review on Amazon. 

Jonathan plans to e-publish several more Trillo & Suede novels soon. 

Meanwhile, enjoy this intro video to the Trillo & Suede characters, featuring Jonathan as Trillo...
youtube.com/watch?v=YZ0zd1E0bQY

Connect with Jonathan...
facebook.com/ventriloquist

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DY9FRLG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Jonathan Geffner; 1st edition (January 12, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 12, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.3 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 303 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

About the author

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Jonathan Geffner

Jonathan Geffner

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Jonathan Geffner is a professional ventriloquist, as well as a pianist, screenwriter, Yiddish teacher/translator, martial artist and a few other things. For Tina Fey's 2013 movie, Admission, he taught Tina's co-star, Nat Wolff, how to play a ventriloquist.

Having written a few feature film screenplays featuring the ventriloquist/dummy detective duo of Trillo & Suede, Jonathan tried for a number of years to find funding to produce them as independent films. Several times the funding seemed to be nearly in his grasp, only to see it disappear each time into the Indie Film Makers' Twilight Zone. While the Village Sleeps is a novelized version of one of those screenplays. Jonathan believes it works very well as a novel and hopes that you will agree. Please take a few minutes to write a review on Amazon.

UPDATE: Trillo & Suede is now a multi-award-winning web series! Subscribe to the youtube channel and enjoy Seasons 1 & 2 plus other Trillo & Suede videos: youtube.com/c/TrilloSuede

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
19 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's plot twists and find it an enjoyable read with well-drawn characters and very funny scenes. The writing is well-executed, and one customer notes how it paints a rich tapestry.

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9 customers mention "Twists"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot twists in this mystery novel, describing it as suspenseful and compelling, with one customer noting a chilling twist at the end.

"...through in his book so again, for a good old fashioned clean but exciting book, read this one. Please support this author-He really deserves it. :)" Read more

"...It's an intriguing concept that I've never come across before, and Geffner deftly develops the concept and the character in the service of a fast-..." Read more

"...very well-written whodunit, with lots of credible suspects and some great twists, especially a big twist near the end of the book that made me shiver..." Read more

"...There are so many twists and turns it is hard to figure out who is the murderer...." Read more

7 customers mention "Readability"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable to read, with one mentioning it's exciting enough to keep them engaged.

"...The book was entertaining & exciting enough that I passed up a good tv show to keep reading so- I definitely would recommend this book...." Read more

"...Now I know, it fits great. While the Village Sleeps is a very entertaining read, with enough murders, suspects, and plot twists to satisfy even the..." Read more

"...There are also a lot of funny scenes along the way. Great book!" Read more

"What a fun, albeit intense read. Like all good stories, it became an accelerating page-turner as it went on...." Read more

4 customers mention "Art direction"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the art direction of the book, with one describing it as a rich tapestry and another noting it's a new twist on an old genre.

"...on many sources to create this complex and compelling story, painting a rich tapestry and managing to fit it all into a run-down English bed and..." Read more

"...; as a movie one day as not only is it well-written, but it's profoundly original." Read more

"New Twist on an Old Genre..." Read more

"Daringly, Delightfully Different..." Read more

4 customers mention "Character development"4 positive0 negative

Customers praise the well-drawn characters in the book, with one particularly appreciating the Sam Suede character.

"...I loved the Sam Suede character and his relationship with detective Trillo, and I loved how Trillo uses Suede to help him investigate...." Read more

"...The characters were so well drawn that I felt I knew each of them, including Suede...." Read more

"...There are lots of intriguing suspects and characters and the plot moves along briskly, with lots of twists and turns and a chilling twist at the end..." Read more

"...intricate and definitely kept me on my toes, but the character sketches were equally elaborate and coherent...." Read more

3 customers mention "Humor"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the humor in the book, particularly noting the very funny scenes.

"...and the character in the service of a fast-moving, suspenseful, hilarious, and at times touching story...." Read more

"...There are also some very funny scenes and incidents along the way...." Read more

"...There are also a lot of funny scenes along the way. Great book!" Read more

3 customers mention "Writing quality"3 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book.

"...This book is also a very well-written whodunit, with lots of credible suspects and some great twists, especially a big twist near the end of the..." Read more

"...The Village Sleeps" as a movie one day as not only is it well-written, but it's profoundly original." Read more

"...of British mysteries, mysteries in general,and anyone who relishes good writing." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • G.Hunt
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Agatha Christie Look-alike
    Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    This was a very good read even though I'm not usually a fan of this kind of "bodies & suspects every where" story. Lots of clues, murders & suspects. The author lets you get to know each character just enough to like them, you think, & then wonder if they did it! I was surprised by the ending although there were some hints. However there were hints all though the book that pointed to everyone so that was not really a give away. It's not one of my all time favorites but I'm glad I bought it. The book was entertaining & exciting enough that I passed up a good tv show to keep reading so- I definitely would recommend this book. It might not be an A+ but still a strong A.
    PS-there is a video link at the end of the book. It's a 3 1/2 minute clip where you get to meet the author & his "dummies". It was fun to see them all talking. I am even more impressed with this author too as he actually took the time so send me a note thanking me for my review. How thoughtful-I believe this author good character shows through in his book so again, for a good old fashioned clean but exciting book, read this one. Please support this author-He really deserves it. :)
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  • Rachel Feinsod
    5.0 out of 5 stars New Twist on an Old Genre
    Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I love reading mystery novels , but in recent years I have found myself feeling increasingly disappointed in them. The characters and the plots are all too often hackneyed and similar to the point of redundancy. It was, therefore, a delightful surprise to come across this page-turner that stands out from all the other mystery novels that I have ever read.

    While the Village Sleeps features Van Trillo, a New York City detective who puts his skills as a ventriloquist to advantageous use in his investigations. It's an intriguing concept that I've never come across before, and Geffner deftly develops the concept and the character in the service of a fast-moving, suspenseful, hilarious, and at times touching story. There is an array of colorful suspects and victims, and the setting of this novel in England sets up a fall-on-the-floor-laughingly-funny culture clash between Trillo and his wooden sidekick, Sam Suede, one the one hand; and various British upper and lower class characters on the other.

    I love this new "dummy noir" genre ( as Geffner calls it). I hope that he is busy writing a sequel, because I can't wait to find out what happens next to Trillo & Suede.
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  • Carol G.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not worth the time I spent reading it
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I am a ventriloquist, so I thought it would be fun to read this book about a private investigator who is a ventriloquist. I had a difficult time getting the characters' names straight. I should have made a character list as each one was introduced....which I never have had to do for any other book I have read. The author needs to work on characterization to make each character become more vivid in the reader's imagination. Since it is a murder mystery, I thought it would be very exciting....not so.
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  • Amazon Customer- Miles Sumner - (AKA Dr. Joe Kano)
    4.0 out of 5 stars ventriloquists are partners with dummys
    Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Murder mystery that moves kind of slowly with little change of scenery, I suppose the play may be better ! ! !
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  • DAVID PENGGUANG CAI
    5.0 out of 5 stars A worthy BOOK!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I'm a fan of ventriloquism, so when I came across this mystery novel featuring a ventriloquist detective, I had to check it out. I was afraid that it might be too silly or ridiculous, but the sample pages engaged my interest, so I ordered the book. Then I couldn't put it down. The author makes the ventriloquist detective concept really work. I loved the Sam Suede character and his relationship with detective Trillo, and I loved how Trillo uses Suede to help him investigate. This book is also a very well-written whodunit, with lots of credible suspects and some great twists, especially a big twist near the end of the book that made me shiver. There are also some very funny scenes and incidents along the way. If you are a mystery fan and looking for something truly different and exciting, I highly recommend this book!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Vicki
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery With A Twist
    Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    When you think of a murder mystery in England, automatically Holmes & Watson come to mind. But in this mystery, the detectives in question are Van Trillo & Sam Suede. What makes them even more unique is they are a ventriloquist and his dummy!

    While The Village Sleeps by Jonathan Geffner keeps you engrossed from start to finish. There are so many twists and turns it is hard to figure out who is the murderer. Geffner, who is a ventriloquist, uses his vast knowledge of ventriloquism to make the characters come to life. By the end of the book you will swear that Sam Suede is real. I hope Geffner will write a sequel because I look forward to seeing Van Trillo & Sam Suede solve more mysteries.

    It is a must read for anyone who enjoys murder mysteries.
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  • Leahle
    5.0 out of 5 stars While the Village Sleeps
    Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I did not know what to expect from a mystery that had a puppet as part of the detective team. What a story! From the failed puppeteer to Van Trillo, the detective who worked in tandem with Suede, his puppet partner, I was enthralled. I just could not close my Kindle because each time I thought someone else had done it. The characters were so well drawn that I felt I knew each of them, including Suede. The author's ability to make you think anyone could have done it was amazing. My only question was just how long is nighttime in the UK, but then when I thought about it, sundown to sun up is a long time. I await the next adventures of Suede and While the Village SleepsTrillo.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Jeffrey
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I couldn't help wondering how a ventriloquist's dummy would fit into a detective story. Now I know, it fits great. While the Village Sleeps is a very entertaining read, with enough murders, suspects, and plot twists to satisfy even the most hardened crime fiction reader. Geffner draws on many sources to create this complex and compelling story, painting a rich tapestry and managing to fit it all into a run-down English bed and breakfast, miles from nowhere. Just when I thought I had things figured out, he'd add another twist to throw me off. He hasn't changed my mind about ventriloquist dummies, but I'm looking forward with great anticipation to the future adventures of Van Trillo and his partner, Sam Suede.
    One person found this helpful
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