It Happened One Knife

Double Feature Mystery #2

by Jeffrey Cohen

A new Double Feature mystery opens? with fun movie facts and trivia.
Elliot Freed is beyond happy when legendary comics Lillis & Townes appear at his refurbished all-comedy theater. But when insinuations arise that the duo were involved in a decades-old Hollywood murder, Elliot sets out to prove the rumors wrong.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Humor, Fiction, Cozy, Mystery Thriller

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Author of the Double Feature Mystery series from Berkley Prime Crime, starting with Some Like It Hot-Buttered, and continuing in July 2008 with It Happened One Knife. Also author of the Aaron Tucker Mystery series: For Whom the Minivan Rolls, A Farewell to Legs, and As Dog Is My Witness. Wrote two books on raising a child with Asperger's Syndrome."

Reviews

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was one of the very lucky people to win a galley of this marvelous book. Jeffrey Cohen has done it again, made me laugh out loud while puzzling my way through his newest Elliot Freed mystery. This time Elliot gets a chance to meet one of his all-time comedy hero's, one half- of the comedy team of Lillis and Townes. The meeting happens when he get a chance to show one of their best movies, Cracked Ice, at his comedy theatre. Lillis arranges to do an appearance before the showing and from there the tale is off and running. Mix in Elliot's complicated relationship with ex-wife Sharon and his motley crew of young employees and you have a wonderful read.

I love Jeff's writing style, his sense of humor and his ability to deftly mix his love of the puzzle with the outright funny. Congratulations Jeff, you did it again!

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elliot Freed likes to refer to his theatre as “The State’s Only All-Comedy Movie Theatre”. And it truly is one of a kind as is Elliot. You can even extend that statement to include Elliot’s employees. Things are never really dull in Elliot’s world. The current problem is he has agreed to show Killin’ Time which is anything but a comedy. Anthony Pagliarulo, the theatre’s projectionist/ticket taker, has produced this film and is very proud of that fact. But the film disappears. The police are called in but Anthony is convinced that Elliot took the film for some unknown reason. So we have the first mystery to solve.


Next, Elliot meets one of his comedy idols Harry Lillis of the comedy group Lillis & Towes. Elliot finds Harry living in an actor’s assisted living room and convinces him to make an appearance at the Comedy Theatre. Harry shows up and puts on a great performance. He also hints to Elliott that Towes murdered his wife in Hollywood years ago. Elliot, being Elliot, can’t just ignore this little tidbit so he begins his own investigation. Things go downhill from there.

Between his crime solving and trying to reconcile with his ex-wife Elliot is a very busy man.

It Happened One Knife is full of humor, mystery and wonderful characters plus a lot of movie history. Highly recommended for a lot of excitement and many laughs. I enjoyed Some Like It Hot Buttered but this book is even better. I love all Elliot’s employees and friends. A very interesting group.

[Ann Costello · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second in a series, "Double Feature" mysteries. Elliott Freed owns a theatre in New Jersey which only plays comedies, preferable classic ones. In this installment, he meets his childhood screen idols, Lillis & Townes--think Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. But, or course, someone is killed and someone else is the chief suspect. The solution is not difficult of figure out--the appeal to this series is the humor. Very nicely written and it made me laugh frequently.

[Qiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed myself silly. Not quite as funny as the first in this series, but still just as fun. I also like having two mysteries going at once. Definitely looking forward to the next whenever it arrives.

[Carol Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery, great characters, and it made me laugh. Just an overall enjoyable read.

[Kent Holloway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Jeffrey Cohen's wonderful mysteries surrounding the Comedy Tonight Theater and crew did not fail to entertain. From start to finish, the story had me chuckling, while my brain worked in overtime to try to figure out what was going on. Like the first book, this one had two separate mysteries as well...one major and one minor. The minor mystery had me puzzled all the way to the reveal. I have to admit, I was embarrassed I didn't see it coming...but it totally made sense.

The major mystery was a different story. I did catch on to what was going on pretty quick, but I was thrilled to discover I was right at the star-studded culprit reveal. Look, let's face it. Writing mysteries is hard. You've got to come up with clever twists while sprinkling in clues and red herrings here and there. You can't make the clues too obvious, but you also have to be sure the essentials are there. It's a tricky thing. So I don't fault Mr. Cohen at all for me figuring it out earlier. Like I said, I was just as thrilled to discover I had been right all along.

And let's face it, Elliot Freed and gang are just plain fun to hang out with. Jeffrey Cohen has created a wonderful, laugh-filled world in which we can spend some time each day. Light-hearted and breezy escapism at its purist. I'm becoming a huge fan of both the author and this series. Now onto book three!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elliot Freed, hapless owner of "Comedy Tonight," a second-run comedy single cinema, is back months later after the first caper. His ex-wife Sharon, is separated and filing for divorce from her anesthesiologist husband. She and Eliot begin to date again, but when his projectionist's independent film canisters turn up missing after the screening at Elliot's theater, Elliot thinks Sharon may have taken them...for altruistic purposes, of course. A damper is thrown on the budding relationship when she finds Elliot searching in her closet for the missing canisters after they've spent the night together. Also, Elliot has had his favorite classic comedy duo, Lillis and Townes host a screening of "Cracked Ice," their formerly popular movie. Unfortunately someone tells Elliot that Towne's probably murdered his wife fifty years ago, that the fire wasn't an electrical wiring accident. Elliot ends up investigating both cases. As with the first mystery in the series, there are surprises and twists, and of course, plenty of humor. At the end there are more synopses of classic comedies. Funny, well-written, and recommended.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author has such self-depreciating dry wit, that he continues to entertain and amuse me.

A good mystery story - well, two actually; one involving murder, one theft. As well as keeping the reader interested in the story-line, he also inserts a lot of little known facts about movie classics from a bygone era. (Spoiler warning. Even in the Epilogue, he reveals that the names of the two main characters of the murder, are actually the real names of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Only important if you are old enough to remember them, I suppose.)

Anyway, an all-round laugh and recommended read.

[Crystal Toller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comedy Tonight

This is a mystery set in a New Jersey town where Eliott Freed owns a comedy theater. Elliott finds out his old comedy idol lives nearby and invited him to the theater. When his idol is killed Eliott is compelled to investigate. A great mystery and great addition to the series. Highly recommend this book and the series.

[Ryan Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

It Happened One Knife is the second book in Double Feature Mystery Series. In this one business is booming for New Jersey theater owner Elliot Freed. Even gets to meet his idols in comedy, Harry Lillis and Les Townes. Who are both residing in the same retirement home nearby, but not speaking to each other. Elliot has a plans to get them back together, which ends in one killing the other. Or so it seems. It's entertaining and fun. Loved the story and mystery. It had a great twist.

[Candice · Rating 3 out of 5]

2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge prompt: the next book in a series you started.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't remember how long it is since I read the first one in this series and then went out and bought the other two. However, I obviously enjoyed it then, and I enjoyed this one now.

[Barry Fulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time to celebrate Jeffrey Cohen who's been writing funny mysteries for decades. (He'll be the toastmaster at the annual mystery writers' convention, Malice Domestic, to be held in Bethesda, Maryland, April 22-24.) He's written dozen of humorous mysteries including It Happened One Knife (2013) is from his Comedy Tonight mystery series. Lots of laughs and a murder mystery to boot as Cohen's their-owner protagonist attempts to honor two film comedians.

[Stefanie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeff Cohen's second Double Feature Mystery, featuring Elliott Freed, the owner of a comedy revival movie theater in New Brunswick, NJ, is very funny. But it also finds the tragedy at the heart of comedy, the dark side to the comedian's need to make us laugh.

Harry Lillis and Les Townes (the names will have a special resonance for trivia champs)were comedy film stars in the 50s. When Elliott learns that Lillis is living only a short distance away in an Old Actors' Home, he is thrilled at the chance to meet his childhood idol, and ends up inviting him to speak at a special film showing at the theater. Surprisingly, Harry's old partner Les Townes shows up too, and the evening is successful far beyond Elliott's dreams. But as Lillis is leaving, he makes an astounding revelation. Elliott begins investigating and the plot begins to twist and turn until its thrilling yet sad conclusion.

There is also a subplot involving the disappearance of Elliott's employee Anthony's first film -- a Tarantino-esque shoot-em-up which Elliott screens even though he can hardly bear to watch it; and then there's Elliott's chance to get back together with his ex-wife, the lovely and talented Dr. Sharon. Cohen weaves all these events together seamlessly, in the process tossing off one-liners and observations about movies, comedy and people in general that kept me chuckling. A very enjoyable book!

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved SOME LIKE IT HOT-BUTTERED (review in link) when I read it in April. It's a fab title (and it's how I like my popcorn), so it immediately drew my attention when I saw it somewhere. Now for the author to grab me to keep reading the series, there has to be more than a pretty title. Jeffrey Cohen did it in spades with IT HAPPENED ONE KNIFE.
Poor Elliot...he's doing his projectionist a favor and shows Anthony's debut film...then is accused of stealing the film project. Elliot then invites his two heroes of comedy filmdom, Lillis & Townes, to a special showing of one of their hit films at his theater...and finds out that one of them may have committed a murder in the past.
Elliot decides he has to investigate both crimes and gets in all kinds of trouble around town, someone sends him an unpleasant gift, demolishes his bike, he might be dating his ex-wife...poor poor Elliot. I just want to reach in and give him a hug.
But he carries on and forges ahead, no matter that everyone tells otherwise..some a little more strongly than others and more forcefully.
And now I cannot wait to read number 3 in the series, A NIGHT AT THE OPERATION. It's in the B&N shopping cart and my next order to Cynthia at High Crimes...whichever gets sent first...now what's this that only three have been written..
Five please say it's only three books in the series so far beans....

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the second Jeffrey Cohen mystery I read (the first was Some Like It Hot Buttered), and I enjoyed it just as much. Cohen's sense of humor and turn of phrase--especially in his narration--cracks me up.

Elliot Freed's Comedy Tonight movie theater has just reopened after the renovations made necessary in the end of the first book. He agreed to screen his projectionist's ultra-violent Western, despite the theater's comedy-only theme, but afterward, someone stole the only copy of Anthony's gory bloodfest of a student film. That's mystery #1.

Mystery #2 begins after Elliot meets two of his heroes, the legendary comedy team of Harry Lillis and Les Townes. Lillis believes that 50 years ago, Townes murdered his (Townes') wife, actress/comedienne Vivian Reynolds. Elliot sets out to find out if this is true.

I had my suspicions throughout the book as to who did what to whom, but I did not actually figure it all out in advance. :)

For readers' advisors: story and character doorways

[Erin]

This one was the next on the pile of mystery novels from mom's house. Thankfully,Cohen relaxed the continuous onslaught of witty commentary in this Double Feature installment that was so distracting in his first outing. But there were fewer laugh-out-loud lines in this one, so I'm curious to see if Cohen achieves a better balance in future Double Features. (Yeah, I'll probably get more from mom when they come along.)



I wasn't sure just how many "mysteries" the owner of a comedy-only movie house could legitimately encounter, but Cohen actually does a good job of creating plausible (though somewhat easy-to-suss) scenarios for plucky Elliot Freed to solve. I'm a little hooked by the fumbling story of his personal life, though the interior lives of Freed's teen employees are very broadly, boringly so, drawn.



Overall, this one is a definite recommend for mystery fans and a worthwhile read, especially for the movie trivia at the end, for other readers.

[Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it took awhile for me to get into it. I think it was the same problem that I had when reading Margaret Maron's Death's Half Acre--I've been sick, and just not into anything much--maybe I should have waited to read it.

I like Elliot, his relationship with his ex-wife Sharon, his relationships with and puzzlement of his young adult staff, and his absolute devotion to classic comedy movies. Here & there, why Elliot kept pursuing the 50-year-old murder of the wife of one of his favorite actors didn't always make sense to me, but when one is very devoted to one's heroes, one occasionally does things that don't make sense. There are two main mysteries in this book, and I like the resolution of both of them.

I look forward to reading the next in this series, A Night at the Operation, due out in April.

[Elizabeth/Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just so the reader is aware, I rate cozy mysteries on a different scale than I would on say a non-fiction book, as it is impossible to compare the two!

Second in the series, Elliot Freed is a divorced, quirky but likable, owner of the only theatre in New Jersey dedicated to showing screwball comedies along with the latest comedies. Just like the double feature nature of his movie house, there are two mysteries in this book, one from the past and one from the present. There is also a romance between Elliot and his ex-wife, and you really root for them.

Those from New Jersey will really enjoy the local references.

This was my first time reading the series. I liked it enough to read another but I am not running out to buy the first book! But please keep in mind I have read A LOT of mysteries so I am a tough customer!

[Alannah Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book #2 in the Double Feature Mystery series is just as much fun as the first installment, if not more so. A clever plot with theater owner Elliot Freed hosting a legendary comedy duo - now elderly men - in a special performance before a showing of one of their classic comedy movies at Elliot's theater.

My one criticism is that Chapter 1 starts off a little slow, and it's helpful to have read the first book in the series, "Some Like It Hot-Buttered," in order to keep the parade of characters straight. Other than that, though, I loved everything from the hilarious dialogue to the rich characterization.

I can't say enough about Jeffrey Cohen as a writer in the cozy mystery genre. His work is such a refreshing change from the barrage of bakery/catering sleuths who give us better recipes than writing quality.

[Susy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrator is the owner of a cinema showing just comedies, with an emphasis on old. He meets a comedian from the sixties, part of a successful duo –more Lewis and Martin than Abbott and Costello- and is happy knowing the idol of his youth. But it seems that one of the duo murdered his wife 50 years before, and things begin to get murky as well as dangerous for him. The novel is funny, with much ironic asides and some outrageous characters. The writing is fluent and the plot well knit, I liked it, not only because I love old movies, too. In fact my taste runs to older films, say silent black and white.

[VJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started out slow and I wasn't sure I'd like it at all. Technically, this would qualify as a cozy mystery, but it feels "off" for the genre. I think it is because it has a male protagonist written by a man. The cozy genre is mostly populated with women protagonists and women writers. No matter. Once I hit the first witty dialogue two or three chapters in, I was hooked.

This book is FUNNY. Witty, droll, sarcastic, ironic: those are adjectives I would use to describe it. There is a good current day storyline, although the majority of the mystery in the book takes place decades earlier 3,000 miles away from the setting.

I enjoyed the book. Give it a chance, you might enjoy it too.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Elliot Freed, owner of the only comedy movie theater in New Jersey, goes against his police and shows a violent western student film, directed by his young projectionist. When the film disappears, everyone blames Elliot, who made no secret of disliking the movie. But a brighter note appears in his life when he meets Lillis and Townes, the legendary comic duo of his life--until Lillis mentions, in passing, that Townes had murdered his wife fifty years before. Elliot can't help ignoring the good advice he gets from his police pals, and digging into the past, with unforeseeable results.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elliott Freed is showing something unusual at his comedy theatre - a splatter western that his projectionist made. The film disappears and Anthony is convinced he took it. Meanwhile, he learns one of his comedy idols lives nearby and he arranges a showing of his film. To his surprise, both of the comedy duo show up. Only he finds a 50 year old murder mystery and can't not investigate.

Wlliott is fun. And he stubborness in the face of common sense at times leads to some dangerous adventures. But it is a fun ride!

[Mark Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comedy Theater owner Elliot Freed is thrilled to meet his film idols Lillis & Townes when he hosts a special screening of their classic CRACKED ICE. But when he learns that Townes may have killed his wife 50 years before, Elliot just has to investigate. I was disappointed with the first in this series, but I really enjoyed this one. The characters were more likable, the plot much stronger, and the laughs were present in droves.

Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's the perfect kind of mystery for me: warm, not-too-bloody, focus on character. I loved this family and I loved (as the mother of a son with Aspergers) the inclusion of a boy with Asperger's that was just a part of the story, a member of the family, not the "reason" or focus of the story. That's the beginning of real inclusion!

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy Jeffrey Cohen's (Jeff Cohen) books very much. I can never guess the who done it which is amazing. I have had the opportunity to meet Jeff Cohen at Barnes and Noble in East Brunswick. He has a dry sense of humor and makes me laugh.

If you get the opportunity to read his books, please do so. He is my favorite author next to Agatha Christie.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this series. The author has a great sense of humor, and I love the old movie information. The problem with this one was my inability to believe that the series protagonist, Elliot Freed, had any reason to investigate.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I heart Jeffrey Cohen. This is the second in the series and it was just as enjoyable as the first. An old-fashioned mystery story with such wonderful characters and smart dialogue. I found myself laughing out loud a few times. Too bad Elliot can't just paint that egregious green door.