It Happened One Knife

IT HAPPENED ONE KNIFE
Author: Jeffrey Cohen
Berkley Publishing Group
Penguin Group
July 2008
ISBN: 978-0-425-22256-0
$7.99
296 pages
Fiction, Mystery


“This wasn’t just another DVD: this was life or death. Or life and death. I was hoping for life; there had already been enough death.”

Owning and running a comedy movie theater is Elliot Freed’s lifelong dream and he is finally living it. Everything would be perfect if he still had a relationship with his ex-wife and perhaps a little more cooperation and a little less attitude from his part-time employees.

While Anthony Pagliarulo has dreams to be a movie producer and director, Elliot allows Anthony to use the theater to show his film, Killing Time. Even though the bloody scenes do not fit into the comedy theme of the theater, Elliot begrudgingly allows the showing and the party afterwards in the theater. He is also the first to be accused of stealing the film when it disappears.

Elliot has a great idea to invite one of his favorite actors who happens to be living in a retirement home nearby for aging actors, Harry Lillis. Harry was part of the comedy team of Lillis & Townes back in the glamorous days of the legendary stars like Cary Grant, Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, and numerous more. The theater is filled when Lillis begins to speak and answer questions. Much to everyone’s surprise, including Harry and Elliot, is one audience member who is almost becoming a heckler. The identity of this person is Les Townes. The audience and Elliot thoroughly enjoy their bantering which continues on as this team is reunited. The tone changes though when Harry mention’s the death of Les’s wife which might not have been accidental.

Elliot feels obligated to investigate both the theft of the film and the possible murder from the past. Unfortunately, the more he discovers, the more crimes are committed.

IT HAPPENED ONE KNIFE is definitely a must read for movie buffs. Even though the main character is a legendary fictional actor in the movie business, there are numerous references to real movie history and actors of a previous time period. Also, there is a strong sense of this author really understanding the people and the places in this particular New Jersey community.

Jeff Cohen is a home-grown Jersey boy who has worked as a reporter, writer, and author of many screenplays. He has written many books in his Aaron Tucker series, books about Asperger’s syndrome and autism, and SOME LIKE IT HOT-BUTTERED and NIGHT AT THE OPERATION in the Elliot Freed series.

The characters are well-developed. The story is quickly paced and logical. This is a novel that could easily have happened in real life. I thoroughly enjoyed IT HAPPENED ONE KNIFE.

I look forward to another book in the Elliot Freed series.



Teri Davis August 14, 2009

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