Groucho Marx: A Mystery Featuring Groucho Marx

It's number five for Ron Goulart and the author continues to maintain the finesse, creativity, and cleverness in "Groucho Marx: Secret Agent." Filled with the type of humor and gags one would expect from anything about Groucho, this books is not only for serious movie fans, but anyone who likes a "whodunit"-and this one adds a touch of the surreal (using Groucho is anything but!). Famed British director Eric Olmstead is dead, with the usual suspicious circumstance. A day before he dies, he is seen whispering to the Grim Reaper-costumed person at a Hollywood Halloween party. When his body is discovered the next day, it looks like suicide, as a letter from Olmstead is found citing the circumstances of his death. Enter the intrigue of "first rate detective work" in 1939 Hollywood, a time when thoughts are just a often centered upon the Nazi displays in Europe (Gloulart gives a heavy dose of Hitler here!) and Groucho and his friend (a scriptwriter-what else) Frank Denby get down to business. Frank's wife Jane (pregnant here)comes on board for yet another Goulart caper after Olmstead's wife (yes, a famous actress!) convinces them that her husband did not commit suicide. Armed with the fact that they've now been hired to solve the case, off the merry trio trip. Yes, the books is heavily sprinkled with Groucho-like humor (especially the puns) but that has what kept this series so appealing. Of course, all this humor, plot scenarios, and cleverness are not infinite devices and Goulart, by the fifth book, begins to cede to this. Still-a fun read. Certainly not one to be considered seriously, but then not all books are. As Bacon says, some books are only meant to be chewed and tasted. This is one of them. (...)