But that seems to be the only thing looking down. Elliot's already friendly relations with his ex-wife (whom he never fell out of love with) seem to be on an upswing and a member of one of his favorite old comedy teams has agreed to come to the theater for a special showing of one of their films. When Lillis' partner Townes appears out of the blue to join him at a sold out Comedy Tonight, Elliot's bliss seems ironclad until it crashes into the whispers that one of his heroes was involved in a cold blooded murder decades before. Wanting to restore his hero's reputation matches up nicely with the taste for detective work Elliot developed in the first book, sending him off in a determined search for answers... despite the seeming hordes of people trying to stop him.

This is a fun read, with a lot of humor of the old "rapier wit," wisecracking sort that dominated the movies Elliot loves, rather than the string of too obvious joke set ups which pass for humor in too many current humorous mysteries (and movies, for that matter). The puzzles are real, with solutions I only partially saw coming and even then only late in the book. That aspect was well done in the first book, but I think is even better here. Elliot is as offbeat as his taste in movies but is still very engaging and real, someone you really care what happens to. Definitely recommended.