Customer Reviews

Some Like It Hot-Buttered: A Double Feature Mystery (Thorndike Mystery)

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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.

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.

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.

Jeff Cohn has written a fresh approach to the traditional cozy mystery. Yes, it contains all the required elements: a likable protagonist, a small community, good interaction with the police, but no cat. Maybe Mr Cohen is saving the cat for a future book. The theatre, Comedy Tonight, probably needs a cat to keep down the mice that may have taken up residence in the basement. Mr Freed has a gentle, self-deprecating humor that appeals to me. His characters are strong and quirky, especially the Goth popcorn girl, Sophie. I am 3/4 through this book and looking forward to reading It Happened One Knife. I have no idea what the ending might be; there seem to be many twists and turns which keep me guessing. This is a series I will follow!

If you love movies and mysteries, this is the series for you. Elliott Freed, the theater-owning protagonist, is understandably alarmed when a man is found dead during a screening of "Young Frankenstein." When one of his employees becomes a suspect, Freed has a legitimate reason to investigate. Plus, his theater has been closed down by the cops -- what else is he going to do?

Cohen is often described as a "funny" mystery writer, but he's not so much funny-wacky as a writer with an incredibly dry sense of humor. You're reading along and he'll come up with a turn of phrase that just makes you guffaw. And the man knows how to tell a story. I found myself rooting for Freed to become a successful businessman (although it's an uphill battle for a small theater operator in a multiplex world), and I hope Cohen is able to give us many more stories about him.

The opening lines of Jeffrey Cohen's new novel are: "The guy in row S, seat 18 was dead, all right. There was no mistaking it. For one thing, he hadn't laughed once during the Blind Man scene in Young Frankenstein, which was indication enough that all brain function had ceased. For another, there was the whole staring-straight-ahead-and-not-breathing scenario, and the lack of a pulse, which was good enough to convince me." [If that doesn't put at least a smile on your face, your humor gene needs a tune-up.] Right away you know you're in for a treat, that is, if you like a good mystery written with great humor as well as warmth and wit. This book is the first in a promised new series by Mr. Cohen, previously the author of, among other things, the Aaron Tucker mystery novels.

The above-quoted lines are spoken by Elliot Freed, who has recently bought an ancient, long-abandoned and rapidly deteriorating New Jersey movie theatre which shows only comedy films, both old [read "classic"] and new, and the dead man was found sitting in the audience after the film had ended. It is later found that the man's popcorn had been poisoned. Elliot is a man receiving alimony from his ex-wife [a doctor now remarried to another doctor], with whom he maintains a very amicable friendship. He takes personally the fact that a murderer apparently chose his theatre in which to commit the murder, and feels it incumbent in him to get involved, especially when the investigation leads to uncovering a scheme involving pirated DVDs. Elliot doesn't want to believe one of his two teenage employees could be connected to either event, but suspicions certainly do point in that direction. Then, when the father of one of the youngsters, who is under increasing suspicion, begs him for help, he feels he has no choice. His growing attraction to the beautiful detective working the case only complicates things. But solving the mystery and finding those responsible for the crimes is only part of the fun in this wonderfully entertaining book - Mr. Cohen's writing and wry sense of humor is a delight. [How could you not love a writer who quotes Mark Van Doren and Woody Allen on the same page, as well as providing an interesting if heretofore unsuspected use for Milk Duds?] Welcome, Elliot Freed - I can't wait to read the next one!

I love mystery books. I love old movies. I love popcorn.

So, what's not to love about Cohen's entry into serial murder mysteries? Not a darn thing.

Like most light-mysteries, "Some Like it Hot-Buttered" is very character centered. Cohen does away with two dimensional representations of divorced couples, Jewish fathers, and cops. Each one of the people inhabiting this book is multi-faceted--some facets you like, some not so much. Even the "bad guys" aren't totally bad.

The mystery is a mystery. I had figured out some of it early on but the total solution was unimaginable. The story kept me interested throughout and there were times I wanted to sneak away and read (always a good sign in a mystery).

For old movie buffs (especially fans of comedies), the throw away references to classics like "His Girl Friday" (and the not-so-throw-away references to others like "Young Frankenstein") reminded me why those movies are so important in our lives. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of our hero's attempts to redo a classic movie theatre with little time and even less money.

Since it seems that I read faster than my favorite authors write (are you reading this Janet Evanovich?), I'm always happy to find a new series that can slide into my bookcases. This is a definite keeper.

Perhaps as a Jewish movie lover living in New Jersey who loves to bike and is about the same age as Elliot Freed, I was predisposed to loving "Some Like It Hot-Buttered." As a mystery, the plot kept me turning pages and guessing as to whodunit. As humor, I had a broad smile across my face - even as the mayhem expanded. This is a delightfully fun, quick read creating a engaging new lead character and supporting cast that I am eager to visit with again. Whether you come for the murder, the humor, and just because you might enjoy a self-appointed detective who bikes to interview witnesses in central Jersey, don't pass by this great read.

This is indeed a clever mystery story with several threads to unravel. Just when you figure the mystery's solved, you realize tehere are still a number of pages left and sure enough, you then realize that there are still threads that need to be tied together.And this is a must for movie buffs. This is filled with references and quotes from classic movies. My favorite is at the end of chapter 44 in which the last three lines of dialogue is obviously a revision of the dialogue at the ending of a certain classic. Also, there are good-natured jibes aimed at film study students and professors. All in all, this book is loads of fun.

Some Like It Hot-Buttered (2007) introduces Elliot Freed, a recently divorced writer who has just re-opened an old movie theater in New Jersey. Elliot shows nightly double features at Comedy Tonight: a classic comedy followed by a new one. When a patron is killed with a box of poisoned popcorn during Young Frankenstein, and the young projectionist/film student disappears, Elliot decides to help investigate. The characters are unique and presented with sympathetic humor. Elliot, who prefers wit over jokes, is continually working on his snappy comebacks, and Sophie the snack/ticket girl tries to be Goth but can't quite pull it off. Loaded with classic movie references, this clever and funny book is a winner.
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