"Frames is gripping entertainment. If you were watching it in a movie theater-a place for which Estleman has a palpable affection-you'd look down in shock to find you'd unconsciously consumed your entire (large size) popcorn."
-Lawrence Kasdan, Academy Award-nominated Director and Screenwriter

"Estleman has laid claim to a fresh new franchise. It's a pleasure to see the care and cunning he's invested in this book. My hat's off to him."
-Sue Grafton, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Loren Estleman marvelously mixes movies and mayhem in a way sure to please film buffs and mystery fans alike. Frames is another winner from a master."
-John Jakes, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Set in modern Hollywood, Frames should appeal equally to Loren's many hard-core noir fans as well as to new readers looking for great entertainment, accessible and sympathetic characters, and, of course, a cracking good mystery. Estleman is a national treasure, and Frames just may be the vehicle that finally gets the word out to the mainstream."
-John Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author

"From screening rooms to board rooms, exploding celluloid to fire-eating cops, this marvelous tale delivers the ride of a lifetime."
-Gayle Lynds, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Spymaster

"Mystery, movies, and a sleuth named Valentino-crime doesn't get much better than this. Estleman's one of the best in the business--and this series nails his name on the marquee in bright lights."
-Linda Fairstein, New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Cooper mysteries

"Break out the popcorn! Mystery fans and old-movie fanatics will love Frames. A delightful double feature of vintage Hollywood murder and hilarious present-day shenanigans. The snappy dialogue alone is worth the price of admission."
-Deborah Donnelly, author of The Wedding Planner Mysteries

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Having appeared in 10 short stories in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, self-described film detective Valentino, who works as a film archivist at U.C.L.A., makes his novel-length debut in the engaging first of a new series from Shamus-winner Estleman. Valentino stumbles on the find of a lifetime when he inspects the Oracle, a decaying 1920s movie theater he's considering purchasing. An abandoned storage room contains reels of film that may be the only surviving prints of Erich von Stroheim's legendary epic, Greed. The further discovery of a skeleton of unknown vintage in the old building complicates matters. Aided by academic colleagues, Valentino tries to eat his cake and have it, too, by cooperating with the police inquiry into what might be a case of foul play without revealing the existence of the film reels, which he fears might be damaged if seized as evidence. While the lighthearted tone is far removed from the gritty realism of the author's Amos Walker series (American Detective, etc.), the versatile Estleman has crafted yet another intelligent page-turner.

LIBRARY JOURNAL
3/15/2008

Valentino is a UCLA film archivist with a passion for the silent screen. When he buys a decrepit movie theater in West Hollywood, he gets much more than he expects—a skeleton in a hidden Prohibition-vintage basement and a stack of priceless film reels of Erich von Stroheim's legendary Greed. The sale of the film to UCLA's archives will finance his theater's restoration, but the LAPD confiscates it as evidence when Valentino reports the skeleton. Fearing the cops will destroy the fragile film, he enlists the help of his mentor, the famed scholar Broadhead, and the two play detective to identify the skeleton and retrieve Greed. Along the way, Valentino falls in love with a lovely forensic investigator, is haunted by the ghost of the infamous von Stroheim, and finds the murderer with the help of a studio costume mistress. In this new series launch, 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. Recommended for all mystery collections. —Susan Clifford Braun