Valentino Mysteries

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."

Everyone knows the Frankenstein monster was played by Boris Karloff. His portrayal is so famous that the play Arsenic and Old Lace was filled with Karloff monster jokes-even when the part of the monstrously deformed villain was played by another actor. But before Karloff's memorable portrayal, another famous 1930s Hollywood icon, Bela Lugosi, tested for the part of the monster. The screen test footage was lost for decades, until Valentino, the never-say-die film archivist, gets a hot tip about the whereabouts of the incriminating (for really bad, heavily accented acting) footage. But it comes with a price far greater than the money he'll have to pay. Someone would kill to get that reel of film, and that makes Valentino a mortal obstacle who would rather not die for art. People have already been murdered for the film, and Val doesn't want to push his luck … but boy, that reel is too good to let go. Enter a crew of steampunk fans. Loving the arcane strangeness that is Valentino's life-not to mention the completely glam prospect of seeing the original filmic Count Dracula as the Frankenstein monster-they will find a way to save Valentino and Lugosi's infamous screen test. Or if they can't do that, have a great party anyway. Val just hopes it's not a wake. "Leisurely paced and impressively researched, this is just the ticket for film buffs." "This lively book with an unusual setting and snappy dialogue continues the series of LA film detective Valentino. There are great details about film history, a subject the author makes intriguing. The humor is clever and the addition of a steampunk group of students highlights the differences between the past and the present and shows links between the two."