Killer Routine

January 31, 2011
Orloff's entertaining first in a new series set in the standup comedy world immediately engages the reader's sympathies with the lead's tragic backstory. Channing Hayes stopped performing after the car accident that took the life of his fiancée, Lauren Dempsey, and left him scarred and maimed. Hayes, now the co-owner of the Last Laff Comedy Club in northern Virginia, has been encouraging Lauren's sister, Heather, to make her solo appearance before the microphone. But the night of Heather's debut, she disappears right before she's about to go on, a puzzle that may be connected with a series of murders. Hayes's frantic search for his almost-sister-in-law meets with relative indifference, both from law enforcement and from family members familiar with Heather's flaking out in the past. Despite a mundane solution to the mystery, Orloff (Diamonds for the Dead) does a great job of evoking smalltime, struggling comedy clubs.

February 1, 2011

He who laughs last lasts in this whodunit centered on a comedy club.

Comedy veteran Channing Hayes has been through a lot in his time. His checkered past isn't limited to his hassles running The Last Laff Comedy Club with moody old-timer Artie Worsham. Channing was recently in a serious car accident that cost him not only three fingers from his left hand but also his fiancée, Lauren Dempsey. Although he survived along with Lauren's little sister and former comedy partner Heather, Channing hasn't felt the same since. Sure, he's back on his feet, but he's not ready to resume his comedy routine. Instead, he's been prepping Heather for her solo act. When she runs out on her debut, Channing is worried that her problem is more than just nerves. His suspicions grow when fellow comic J.J., one of Heather's recent flings, winds up dead after snorting cyanide disguised as cocaine. Artie's convinced that the culprit is rival club owner Gerry Reed, acting out his anger after they refused to sell him the Last Laff. But Channing is even more convinced that he must find Heather as soon as he can. As his search intensifies, he finds more danger and dead bodies. Orloff (Diamonds for the Dead, 2010) generates considerable suspense en route to a conclusion most readers won't see coming.

Good-hearted characters who aren't wimps make this premiere of the Last Laff series a winner.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2011

He who laughs last lasts in this whodunit centered on a comedy club.

Comedy veteran Channing Hayes has been through a lot in his time. His checkered past isn't limited to his hassles running The Last Laff Comedy Club with moody old-timer Artie Worsham. Channing was recently in a serious car accident that cost him not only three fingers from his left hand but also his fianc�e, Lauren Dempsey. Although he survived along with Lauren's little sister and former comedy partner Heather, Channing hasn't felt the same since. Sure, he's back on his feet, but he's not ready to resume his comedy routine. Instead, he's been prepping Heather for her solo act. When she runs out on her debut, Channing is worried that her problem is more than just nerves. His suspicions grow when fellow comic J.J., one of Heather's recent flings, winds up dead after snorting cyanide disguised as cocaine. Artie's convinced that the culprit is rival club owner Gerry Reed, acting out his anger after they refused to sell him the Last Laff. But Channing is even more convinced that he must find Heather as soon as he can. As his search intensifies, he finds more danger and dead bodies. Orloff (Diamonds for the Dead, 2010) generates considerable suspense en route to a conclusion most readers won't see coming.

Good-hearted characters who aren't wimps make this premiere of the Last Laff series a winner.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)