Simon Says

About the Book

Expressing blind faith in the published report that listening to Chopin's Sonata for Two Pianos in D, third movement, raises human intelligence, counterfeiter Leonard Lucas Stoth plays the melody incessantly on his cassette recorder to boost his brainpower in preparation for an upcoming trial. But, learning that new hard evidence (his printing plates) has been unearthed, he decides to escape - and he does so while a troop of boy scouts tours the prison.

A TV reporter sent to record the scout's jail tour inadvertently records Stoth's escape and earns a stiff rebuke from his off-the-wall manager for failing to profit from the sighting; this, being the first in a series of plot twists that, strangely, include President Clinton's amorous ventures.

Answering a mail-in coupon, a foxy encyclopedia salesman - Ramah Kunwar Punta Singh, Crown Prince of the Bihar Province (possibly the world's greatest con artist) - bent on visiting Stoth in prison, sees his prospect escape. He decides, instead, to visit Stoth's weird family. A bad move: he loses his shirt to those foxier than he.

A decrepit former trapeze artist posits outrageous predictions generated by her Ouija board; one of which, by misadventure, is broadcast, and though dealing with an unrelated matter, leads the police to Stoth's hideout. Hailed as a powerful psychic she is featured on a TV program. When everything goes wrong, national viewers think the humor was intended, and she is rewarded with her own comedy series.

Stoth ends up selling Canadian mountains to wealthy Mexicans.

About the Author

Artist, musician and author of educational works dealing with preschool education, Sidney Ledson occasionally takes a breather and lets his inventive mind turn to humorous writing. Two other such works - Scratch 'n Win and Talk About a Bad Hair Day (the latter written under the pen name Sister Trillium) - complete the current offering.