Jeffrey Cohen (1) (1957–)

Jeff Cohen has done it again with his likable movie house owner, Elliot Freed. The crime this time is personal, very, very personal. Elliott's ex-wife, for whom he still carries a flaming torch, has disappeared, and she's been implicated in the death of a patient in her care. For added fun, watch the Marx Brothers A Night at the Opera before - or while - reading the book. The classic stateroom scene in the movie is re-created in the book, and even though the situation in the book is sort of show more scary, I defy you not to crack up when you see where it's going. show less

Elliot Freed is the owner of Comedy Tonight, an old movie house that shows strictly comedy movies - double feature comedy movies. But there is nothing funny about the man in row S, seat 18 Tuesday night. He's dead from...wait for it, poisoned popcorn, and Comedy Tonight has turned into a crime scene. As if that wasn't bad enough, while searching the "crime scene" the police uncovered bootleg videos. Copies of the same movie showing at Comedy Tonight, a movie that isn't available on video show more yet.

All leads point to Elliot's movie-obsessed projectionist, Anthony, but Anthony has vanished. Will this murder be solved before Comedy Tonight ends up the next victim?

I LOVE humor. So the use of tasteful, intelligent humor weaved into a plot always earns bonus points with me. SOME LIKE IT HOT-BUTTERED earned oodles of bonus points as I laughed out loud through practically the entire book. Cohen takes the humor of everyday life and expertly interjects it into dialogue, plot and character. What better way to help a reader connect with the characters and the story? I can't imagine reading this and not laughing while simultaneously thinking, "I know EXACTLY what he's talking about!" By the conclusion of the book, I realized that Cohen is an astute observer of life, and he can articulate the humor in all the absurdity. Elliot, himself, sums up Cohen's humor when he says, "I hate jokes. I like wit, not contrived stories that end with someone making an obscene pun or confusing his wife with a horse or something." Now THAT is my kind of humor!

The strengths of this book don't lie solely in Cohen's use of humor, though. Actually, the humor helps to enhance the other strengths. The characters in this book are so real you expect to walk out your door on the way to work and wave to them as you climb in your car to leave. Elliot is a man who is struggling with the loss of his marriage and the embarrassment of being on the receiving end of alimony. Sophie, his refreshment stand employee, is the epitome of a teenage girl struggling with identity, trying to establish who she is, rebelling against every form of authority. Even Elliot's father comes to life on the page. An older man trying to battle the forces of nature that are slowing him down. Cohen cements the characters with their relationships to each other and reminds the reader of how powerful those relationships are, even when we take them for granted.

There's magic on the pages of this book, either magic or glue. I simply couldn't put it down. I wanted to know what would happen with the murder investigation; I wanted to know what would happen between the characters. Cohen pulled me into Midland Height, New Jersey, and I walked away taking a part of it with me. Jeffrey Cohen's Double Feature Mystery Series will definitely be one of if not the greatest discovery of 2009 for me.

When you're ready for a healthy dose of laughter with your popcorn, I recommend SOME LIKE IT HOT-BUTTERED by Jeffrey Cohen. show less

First Line: "So he pulled a gun out of his pocket."

It's not easy being a freelance reporter and work-at-home dad. Aaron Tucker is hired to write a piece on a local minor league baseball player and discovers that the young man died under mysterious circumstances. He's having a difficult time focusing on the assignment because his six-year-old son, Ethan (not yet diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome), has been framed with a dastardly crime: bringing a water pistol to his first-grade show more class.

There's not much to say about this short story without giving a whole lot of good stuff away. What I will say is that it's short, breezy, and fun-- a perfect introduction to the Aaron Tucker mystery series (and I happen to have the first book waiting for me on my well-stocked to-be-read shelves). I have yet to read anything by Jeffrey Cohen/E.J. Copperman that I haven't liked, and I think it's safe to say that this trend will continue well into the foreseeable future.

The only other thing that I'm willing to divulge is this: "The Gun Also Rises" is hilarious and not suitable for reading in bed while your partner is asleep. Trust me. show less

Comedy Tonight, a comedy-only theater, shows two films each night. But when the man seated in row S, seat 18, ends up dead, Elliott Freed’s movie theatre becomes a crime scene. It isn’t long before the police determine that poisoned popcorn was the cause of Vincent Ansella’s demise and the writer-turned-theatre-owner sets out to prove that no one at Comedy Tonight is responsible for this reprehensible crime.

Delightful characters populate this tale: theatre owner Elliot Freed wrote a show more book that became a bad movie and now eschews writing in favor of showing comedy films in his theatre; projectionist/usher/film geek Anthony dreams of directing his own film; Goth-wannabe Sophie sells tickets and snacks. It’s a bare-bones operation with few regular customers, but Comedy Tonight is Elliot’s pride and joy. With a strong sense of place, larger-than-life, lovable characters, an original premise, and many delightful references, chuckling readers will find much to enjoy as they unravel clues that lead to the culprit.

Highly recommended. show less