A Night at the Operation

Table of Contents

“Reading Cohen’s book is like hearing a great story in a bar—conversational, amusing, and you just want to buy someone a beer when you are done—and then ask for more. Cohen creates wonderful characters and Elliot Freed is a guy who’s right on the edge of nuttiness, but is so kind and bighearted that it’s easy to forgive his obsession with old comedies . . . Lots of laughs, some nice red herrings, and a perfect way to spend a summer afternoon.”—
BookBitch

 

“Everybody knows Jeff Cohen writes wonderfully funny, well-plotted mysteries peopled by characters more human than most humans, but did you know Cohen also knows how to write love? No? Well, this book showcases all his many skills. Including love. And, of course, love lost.”

—Linda Ellerbee

 

“Cohen’s greatest strength is his characters . . . Cohen creates characters with heart.
It Happened One Knife
combines great characters, humor, and suspense, with a little slapstick, in the tradition of the best movie comedies. You can’t go wrong with Cohen’s Double Feature Mysteries.”—
Lesa’s Book Critiques

 

“Cohen shows why he is a wonderful mystery author with his humorous yet action-packed investigative tale.
It Happened One Knife
is fast paced but contains a quirky cast that insures the audience will believe they are at a comedy show instead of in an amateur sleuth novel. Elliot is the terrific star in this comedic cozy.”—
Genre Go Round Reviews

 

“Jeff Cohen is the class clown of the mystery world.
It Happened One Knife
has it all: a puzzling mystery, characters to love, and nonstop rapier wit. Cohen is truly a class act!”

—Chris Grabenstein, Anthony Award-winning author of
Tilt-a-Whirl

“Cohen fires up the gag reel for a new tongue-in-cheek mystery . . . Freed solves the mystery and earns his amateur sleuth credentials, promising more comic adventures to come. Cohen develops his lively characters almost as effortlessly as he delivers jokes—and the occasional guffaw—and manages to sneak in some suspenseful twists besides.”—
Publishers Weekly

 

“A light, funny murder mystery . . . The start of a wonderful new series.”—
ReviewingTheEvidence.com

 

“A wonderful treat for cozy mystery lovers! A smart and witty protagonist leads a dynamic cast through a vibrant first-person narrative filled with satisfying twists and turns. The first of what promises to be a wonderful series . . . Funny and exciting, I simply cannot wait to read more.”

—
Romance Readers Connection

 

“You’re in for a treat, that is, if you like good mystery written with great humor, as well as warmth and wit . . . 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 . . . I can’t wait to read the next one!”—
Crimespree Magazine

 

“Cohen has begun a new series featuring another nice,
schleppy
hero with a heart of gold. This seems to be his specialty and I, for one, couldn’t be happier . . . This new book has, at its heart, an everyman who just happens to get involved in murderous doings, and we, thankfully, get to go along . . . Not only is the book funny, which you would expect from Jeff Cohen, but it is also well-plotted (also expected), and loaded with plenty of misdirection. Plus you get to meet another terrific bunch of characters.”—
Mystery Ink

 

“Readers keep coming back for more [of] Cohen’s delightful sense of humor and ability to create main characters who shine with sly mirth, bubble with self-deprecating humor, and zing one-liners nearly every time they open their mouth or even have internal dialogue with themselves . . . If you enjoy humor in any form, you’ll get a kick out of
Some Like It Hot-Buttered
. If you like comedic mysteries, you’re in for a real treat. And, if you happen to like comedic mysteries and are a fan of classic comedy movies, you’ve hit the jackpot.”

—
Curled Up With a Good Book

 

“A twisty mystery with lots of laughs and lots of heart. This is the first in the Double Feature Mystery series, and hopefully it won’t be too long a wait for the next.”—
BookBitch

 

“Those looking for a few laughs will find plenty to enjoy with this offering.”—
Roundtable Reviews

 

“A very entertaining read.”—
New Mystery Reader Magazine

 

“A delight to read and Elliot quickly joined the ranks of my favorite cozy heroes. The plot was fresh, the writing sparkled . . . Film buffs and readers who like to laugh should read this book.”—
Mystery News

 

“Will keep you laughing till the end. It is a book I highly recommend.” —
I Love A Mystery

 

“A little bit of mystery heaven—don’t miss it.”—Aunt Agatha’s

 

“Even if you’re not a movie buff, you’ll love this first book in a new series . . . The author doesn’t go for the zany approach here; Elliot, who narrates, has a very dry and sarcastic wit. The mystery . . . will keep the reader guessing until the end.”

 

“A witty, enjoyable mystery . . . Perfect for anyone who needs a ‘Comedy Tonight.’ ”—
Lesa’s Book Critiques

 

“A hilarious read, with quips and asides to movies and movie people. The plot is very believable and provides a great insight into the comedy genre niche, which is sorely ignored all over the country.”—
Love Romances and More

 

“Grab a bag of popcorn from the microwave, find a comfortable seat, and prepare to be entertained.”—
Chattanooga Press

 

“A very funny mystery . . . The characters are well-defined, the dialogue frequently laugh-out-loud funny, and the plot adequately complex without being overly complicated . . . A terrific debut.”—
Mysterious Reviews

“The plot is nicely twisting, with enough action to keep the reader entertained . . . This is the book for anyone who wants to relax, chuckle a bit, and get involved in a good mystery.”—
Front Street Reviews

 

“Something for everyone! . . . Bursts with mystery, action, romance, and laughs . . . A sure thing smash-hit. Jeffrey Cohen is the Dave Barry of the New Jersey Turnpike.”

—Julia Spencer-Fleming, Edgar
^®
Award nominee and author of
I Shall Not Want

 

“Movies, murder, characters who are real people, laughs, danger, and damn good writing.”

—Linda Ellerbee, television producer, journalist, and bestselling author of
Take Big Bites
and
And So It Goes

 

“Knock, knock. Who’s there? Cohen. Cohen who? Cohen buy yourself this most entertaining book.”

—Larry Gelbart, writer of
M*A*S*H
,
Tootsie
,
Oh, God!
,
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
,
Barbarians at the Gate
, etc.

 

some LIKE IT HOT-BUTTERED
IT happened one Knife
a NIGHT AT The OPERATION

Published by the Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

 

A NIGHT AT THE OPERATION

 

A Berkley Prime Crime Book / published by arrangement with the author

 

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley Prime Crime mass-market edition / April 2009

Copyright © 2009 by Jeffrey Cohen.

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA), Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

 

eISBN : 978-1-101-02551-2

 

BERKLEY
^®
PRIME CRIME

Berkley Prime Crime Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
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PRIME CRIME and the PRIME CRIME logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA)
Inc.

 

 

 

I’D
like to thank the Academy, but they’ve never done anything for me, so that will have to wait for another day.