Customer Reviews

A Night at the Operation (A Double Feature Mystery)

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Are you the type of person who will immediately recognize that a character named "Allen Konigsberg" is a tribute to Woody Allen (that's the director's birth name)? Or who notes that a scene in which a bunch of people are crammed into a tiny room is a homage to the Stateroom Scene in the Marx Brothers' "A Night at the Opera"?

If so, then "A Night at the Operation" is for you; if not, well, read it anyway, because you'll pick up some great tips for your Netflix queue, and enjoy a great mystery to boot.

As the third book in the Double Feature Mystery series, "A Night at the Operation" will have more resonance if you've read the first two. Fans of the series know that Elliot Freed is divorced, but still has a close relationship with his ex-wife Sharon, who left him for a fellow physician. Most men in that situation would probably be fairly indifferent if their ex went missing, but not Elliot -- when Sharon disappears, and it seems to be related to the death of one of her patients, he knows he must try and find her. That's the beginning of this tangled tale of murder, secrets, college applications and overflowing bathrooms (the movie theater Elliot owns has really old plumbing). This is a fast-paced, funny mystery with a very satisfying resolution.

Despite the title of this review, I am not a teenager. In fact, I'm a past middle aged mystery and old movie buff and, as such, a huge fan of this series.

I also have to admit that, after reading the other two books, I marked my calendar for the release date of "A Night at the Operation" and was at the bookstore before noon to pick up a copy.

I am so glad--even though the book went much too quickly (I just didn't have the patience to read it in small amounts and savor the wonderful writing and plotting).

The plot is set out above and in other reviews so I'm not going into it. However, you need to know that the plot is fantastically woven--it is intricate, it is exciting, it is funny, and it is logical. In the interest of full disclosure--I did figure out the "whodunnit" early but that didn't distract one moment from my enjoyment.

There are some definite WOW moments (hence the title of this review). The secondary characters (I sometimes think that they are more important to a continued success in a series) are perfectly suited for this venue--the ex-wife, the ex-wife's soon-to-be-ex-husband, the family, law enforcement, and assorted friends and employees keep this from being dull.

Cohen also knows exactly when (and how much) movie information to throw into the mix. And the end pages of extra-movie-knowledge is an added bonus.

Shortly after reading this, I had to watch (once again) "A Night at the Opera". Now, I'm waiting to hear when the newest installment of the double feature series comes out so that I can mark it on my calendar.

Despite being divorced, Elliot Freed and his ex-wife Sharon continue to celebrate their wedding anniversary together with dinner and gifts. Just over a week before this year's anniversary, though, Sharon's current - but estranged - husband drops an annoying bomb on Elliot with the news that she's disappeared. Despite knowing that Sharon's been worried and on edge lately, Elliot hopes that Sharon has only finally left Gregory for good until a visit from the police chief shatters that illusion by also wanting to know Sharon's whereabouts. However, he's not so much concerned about her safety as he is over her involvement in the suicide of her wealthy patient Russell Chapman, whose daughter claims that Sharon misdiagnosed her father with fatal brain cancer. To add to Elliot's stress level is the arrival of his parents who come to "support" him, especially considering his mother's black belt - level skills in passive-aggressive behavior. The hunt for Sharon has Elliot sidelining his concern over his all comedy theatre Comedy Tonight, leaving a plumbing disaster in the hands of his father while one of his star employee's high SAT scores have her parents threatening to whisk her away from what they consider to be an unworthy job at the snack bar. As evidence of shady deals and infidelity to both her husband and ex mount up, his home is broken into, and Chapman's body disappears, Elliot must wade through the lies to uncover both Sharon's and Russell Chapman's secrets.


The previous entry in this series, It Happened One Knife, was a nominee for the Lefty (Best Humorous Mystery) Award, and Cohen follows his success by adding complications that reveal Elliot's very loyal, likable, and relatable character. With his dry wit and unending knowledge of classical comedy movies, Cohen assures that he will keep up the high standard of mysteries that began with his Aaron Tucker mysteries and continues with the Double Feature Mysteries. Cohen avoids the pitfall of making Elliot's mother a two-dimensional stereotype of a manipulative mother, the relationship between Elliot and his young employees is realistic and hilarious, and the love between Sharon and Elliot is touching, at times frustrating, and yet always respectful. Cohen provides readers with a twisty plot that completely surprises even the most jaded mystery fan and the ending is satisfying to both Elliot and the reader. Here's to hoping that the series continues to entertain readers with humor, movie lore, and just plain good writing.

Better than the first book. The end scene had me cracking up, but most of the humor is the 'chuckle lightly' sort. It also helps if you love classic comedy films. I do, so this mystery was a hit with me.

The basic plot has a corpse that goes missing, and then turns up again freshly dead, the main character's missing ex-spouse (whom he still obviously loves very much.), and the old theater's whose day to day adventures include trying to stay open by not staying 'afloat.' ;)

Enjoyable references to classic comedy movies added extra interest for me :D

Worth the price of admission :D

This is a mystery story and part of the fun of these is to figure out who was the culprit. In this case, our main hero is Elliott Freed who owns an old, old, movie theater in which he runs only comedy films. Elliott is a film nut and has memorized all the classics. Running the theater allows him plenty of time to get involved in all kinds of other things and in this book he gets engaged early on in looking for his ex-wife, the doctor, who not only disappears, but is actually under suspicion of either promoting a suicide among one of her patients, or maybe even of killing that patient.

Elliott is very much in love with his ex which leads to a lot of touching moments when he shows her how much he loves her. This is done at times in front of her current husband - but that's OK as there is a divorce taking place there as well! The author also brings in to this book all the other characters that have populated this series in smart and fanciful ways. To complicate matters, the building in which the theater is housed is very old and it's not unusual to have things break down. In the case of this book, that seems to happen with some great regularity, requiring all kinds of repairmen to get involved. Elliott's cast of teenage employees are also present in the book and we are particularly focused on Sophie, his teenaged snackbar saleswoman who has just passed her SATs with very high scores and so her parents are making her prepare applications and such for all the ivy league schools that one can think of!

Ok, so what's the mystery and how does it get resolved? If I told you that, what would be the point of reading the book? So, no, I am not going to tell you what happened. I suggest you read it for yourselves as that is where most of the fun is in this book. I will give you one hint though - and if you have read any of the author's other books, you should already know - the author loves misdirections. So, when someone is named as the suspect in an activity, do not assume that is so. Maybe someone else did it. If you can figure out who and why that misdirection may have happened, then you are well on your way to solve this case before you read the resolution that the author gives you.

By the way, the resolution makes sense. Not only that, but much of the fun of reading this book is in finding all the allusions to movies that are strewn about throughout it as well as all the movie trivia that is in the book. It was a fun read and I recommend this book.

I don't think I could ever write a negative review of any Jeffrey Cohen book. I love his humor and his characters...

What is left to say. I'm afraid other reviewers have said all there is to be said. This third book in the current series by Cohen IS as entertaining as the first two.....even if you have never seen A Night at the Opera. I'm sure that it is not for everyone; however, I don't know who the exception could be. Read and enjoy.

I love this series by Jeff Cohen. I laugh out loud, and come to care about his characters.

Elliott Freed isn't like most ex-husbands. He still loves his former wife, and when Dr. Sharon Simon-Freed comes up missing, he's not going to take it lying down.
Cohen spins a tale of quips and one-liners amid a cast of his recurring characters, including his Comedy Tonight staff of Sophie, Jonathon and Anthony; along with police chief Dutton and old-friend and policewoman Meg Vidal; plus Gregory, who's due to soon join Elliott as an ex-husband of Sharon.
In looking into Sharon's disappearance, Elliott is shocked to find his usually chipper and friendly ex-wife was obviously under a lot of stress, enough to cause the staff at her medical practice to worry about her.
True, she recently had to tell one of her patients that he had a terminal illness, but, as sad as that is, Elliott isn't convinced that's what was bothering her. After all, it's a sad fact that doctors sometimes have to relay terrible news. Even when her patient was reported to have committed suicide after receiving the news, Elliott is not convinced that's what caused her to go into a blue funk and disappear.
The plot twists are numerous and intertwined as Elliott tries to unravel the case of his missing former wife while handling the usual assortment of disasters and near-disasters at Comedy Tonight, including the possibility he might lose the services of Sophie to a comedy of errors and misguided and domineering parents.
I'll give this one a solid "A" and look forward to the hopefully forth-coming next installment of the "Double Feature" series.

I love all of Cohen's books, and this Elliot Reed mystery ranks right up there with the best. I hope there will be more!