Frames

Enter Valentino, a mild-mannered UCLA film archivist, buys a decrepit movie palace and uncovers a skeleton in the secret Prohibition basement. He then makes a second discovery: long-lost, priceless, reels of film: Erich von Stroheim's infamous Greed. The Los Angeles Police Department wants to take the reels as evidence, jeopardizing the precious old film. If Valentino wants to save his find, he has only one choice: solve the murder within seventy-two hours, with the help of his mentor, the noted film scholar Broadhead, and Fanta, a feisty if slightly flaky young law student. Between a budding romance with a beautiful forensics investigator and visions of Von Stroheim's ghost, Valentino's madcap race to save the flick is as fast and frenetic as a classic screwball comedy.
"Prolific four-time Shamus Award winner Estleman has scripted yet another
wacky comedic mystery that begs to become a feature film. His snappy
dialog, feisty characters, Hollywood lore, and gentle romance make this
his funniest to date."
"As Valentino and his buddies careen about Los
Angeles, visiting a home for retired movie workers and researching the
provenance of the movie palace, Estleman smoothly seeds the text with
all manner of fascinating details relating to the history of silent
films and the techniques of modern film restoration. There's even time
for a nifty romance between Valentino and an LAPD forensics
investigator. Great cast, great subject, flawless delivery from a real
pro."
"While the lighthearted tone is far removed from the gritty realism of the author's Amos Walker series the versatile Estleman has crafted yet another intelligent page-turner."