Comedy Tonight Theater shows comedies, only comedies. Yet as It Happened One Knife, the second Elliot Freed mystery opens, a blood filled western is playing. An unfortunate incident (see Some Like It Hot Buttered the series debut) caused the theater to close for repairs. Just before the grand reopening, Elliot agrees to let his employee Anthony hold a private screening of his first film Killin'Time at the theater. Everyone except Elliot seems to think it's brilliant, including Vic Testalone, a film distributor's sales rep, who thinks he can get Anthony a distribution deal. However, before the evening is over, the only copy of the film disappears.

Meanwhile, when Elliot discovers that former film star Harry Lillis is living in a retirement home nearby, Elliot asks him to come to the official grand reopening of Comedy Tonight. When Lillis takes the stage, a heckler yells rude comments. The heckler turns out to be Lillis's former partner, Les Townes, and the two take the stage bringing down the house. But when Lillis turns up dead, and Les disappears, Elliot feels responsible.

With this second book, this series really starts to gel. Cohen gives readers both a puzzle and a mystery to solve. Who stole Anthony's film is a straight forward puzzle, while the murder is a complex crime with roots decades old. Both are well thought out.

The more readers see of Elliot the more there is to love. A bike is his only means of transportation as he doesn't own a car. He's on good terms with his ex, respects his dad, and he has a phenomenal knowledge of movies. He's the kind of guy you can't help but wish lived next door. While all of the supporting characters are interesting, Sophie, the snack bar queen, is laugh out loud funny as she turns feminist.

While the book is a “theme” mystery, one does not need to know, or care anything at all about comedy movies to enjoy the books in the series. However, if a reader happens to have any interest at all in film, the books are a gold mine of interesting film facts. Plus, the movie pairings, one classic and one recent, sprinkled throughout the book, make for an great list of titles to be rented.

REVIEWED BY CARYN ST. CLAIR

DO NOT REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE REVIEWER, CARYN ST. CLAIR

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