Some Like It Hot-Buttered

by Jeffrey Cohen

Book Overview

Elliot Freed, a recovering writer and husband, socked all his savings-and the alimony from his ex-wife-into the Comedy Tonight movie theater, never suspecting it would become a crime scene... Poisoned popcorn killed the dead guy in Row S, Seat 18, and to the chagrin of the local police, Elliot starts his own investigation, one that may put the theater-and Elliot-on the cutting room floor.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 042521799X
• ISBN13: 9780425217993
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
• Length: 289 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 6.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

New comedy series hits all the right notes

Leaving behind the Aaron Tucker series, Mr. Cohen heads onto a new series dealing with an old movie theater that shows only comedies, one new film and one classic. Peppering the story with lots of references to classic comedies and comedians this story revolves around a dead body who didn't laugh during a very funny scene in Young Frankenstein. Anything by Cohen is a favorite of mine but this new series is close to my heart, as I also love classic films and comedies are some of the best. Great stories, wonderful characters and references to classic comedy, what could be better?

Laugh out loud funny, and a whopping good mystery, too!

I thought I was going to miss Aaron Tucker, after enjoying him so much in Jeff Cohen's first three mysteries, but Elliot Freed is a wonderful character and I can't wait for his next book. The book has been summarized, synopsized and analyzed by many already, so allow me to just say that I love, love, love Cohen's combination of humor, wit, warmth and charm, combined with a heck of a good mystery. Buy this book. Read this book. You'll be glad you did.

I DARE YOU TO GUESS THE ENDING!

SOME LIKE IT HOT-BUTTERED is the first in a new mystery series starring Elliot Freed, a man who wrote a book, sold it to Hollywood, then took that money -- plus the alimony he gets from his ex-wife, with whom he has a most ambiguous relationship -- bought an old movie palace, and converted it into Comedy Tonight, a theatre dedicated to showing classic comedies. The Only All-Comedy Theatre in New Jersey. Which brings us to the only murder mystery I've ever read where Milk Duds play a significant role. Jeff Cohen is not only funny, funny, funny, he's great at deflection. I'm not talking red herring; I'm talking about that giant red elephant in the middle of the room, the one that was there all the time, only we didn't see it. No matter how many mysteries I've read, I never guess the end of a Jeff Cohen mystery. I was surprised about six separate times at the conclusion of this book. I want more. What about that ex-wife? What about Sophie, the sixteen-year-old Goth wannabe with iPod buds glued into her ears? I need another dose of Sophie, plus more Leo, the only regular customer at Comedy Tonight. Also, it seems obvious to this reporter that Elliot Freed and Chief Dutton are naturals for a classic Buddy/Comedy/Mystery movie. Ernst Lubitsch, of whom Elliot is a fan, said that nobody should try to play comedy unless they have a circus going on inside. While I suspect the same is true of writing comedy, I cannot begin to imagine the circus inside Jeff Cohen's head, but I'm always happy to go there. You will be too.

Hot Buttered Fun

Jeff Cohen's sense of humor is priceless. His characters, luckily for all of us, share that humor and all we can do is smile and/or laugh and keep reading. Cohen's also one of the few mystery authors who sets his books in New Jersey - a recognizable suburban New Jersey filled with the usual misfits: people just trying to get along, get a life and get a few dollars put away. Elliot Freed is a typically Cohen-like main character. He's funny, self depracating, humble, smart and given to social discomfort. He's bought a small theater in Midland Heights, dubbed it 'Comedy Tonight' and is betting that showing old classic comedies will appeal to the general movie-going public fed up to the teeth on current movie junk. When one of his patrons dies in the middle of a show, from eating doctored popcorn, the cops suspect murder most foul. Of course, it is then up to Elliot to solve the puzzle before his theater is done in by bad publicity. (Little does he know that, on the contrary, there's nothing like murder to bring in the curious public.) A movie-goer drops dead while watching YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN. An insult not only to Mel Brooks, but to Elliot as well. He can't help but take it personally. It is his favorite movie, after all. This book has the usual cast of fun characters that Jeff Cohen is known for. The 'goth'-wannabe ticket taker, the film student projectionist who mysteriously disappears as soon as a stache of counterfeit films is found in the theater's basement, the ex-wife Elliot meets once a week for lunch and from whom he is happy to take alimony checks. You gotta' love a man who's not too proud to take a check or two all in a good cause. I also like the fact that even in the car-mad state of NJ, Elliot rides a bike to work - his own small way of contributing to the 'greening' of his corner of the world. As usual, the main thing that attracts me to Jeff Cohen's books is his crisp writing ability and his knack of making it seem as if I'm visiting with friends, hanging around sharing a few laughs and oh, by the way, solving a murder or two. A fun way to spend a few hours.

A Great Roll in the Hay

When Elliot Freed noticed that the man seated in the audience wasn't laughing during a screening of Young Frankenstein, the Comedy Tonight theatre owner knew something was wrong. What Elliot didn't expect was to be told that Vincent Ansella was dead, poisoned by popcorn. The sudden disappearance of the Comedy Tonight's projectionist/usher/etc. Anthony, combined with the discovery of boxes of pirated DVDs (of a Rob Schneider "comedy," no less) has the police focusing on the Rutgers student despite Elliot's belief that Anthony had little interest in making money. Encouraged by his father and attracted to the lovely police detective, Elliot decides to track down his missing employee and protect his beloved theatre from ever again becoming a crime scene despite someone's attempts to sabotage it. Cohen's extensive background in the entertainment business as well as his love of comedy films shine through in this vastly entertaining and humorous mystery. Elliot, still tied to the ex-wife who pays him alimony, proves to be an extremely complex character who immediately engages the reader with his wit and intelligence. Half of the fun of this new series is learning movie trivia, with the other half being Cohen's delightful characters, primarily a wannabe goth girl and a savvy police chief. Elliot proves to be a surprisingly adept investigator yet it's no shock that it's his knowledge of comedy films that helps him to uncover the guilty. This is a very enjoyable new series that creates its own niche in the mystery genre.