Hugger-Mugger in the Louvre

Book excerpt: The gendarmes are baffled and all Paris is agog at the disappearance of a rare Watteau print. Enter master sleuth Homer Evans, whose hilarious approach to crime-solving follows a twisted trail from the darkest recesses of the Louvre to underworld lairs, the studios of shady art dealers, and an insane asylum. Evans and his zany associates—including his sharpshooting girlfriend, Mademoiselle Montana, and his drinking buddy, Gonzo—trace a bizarre series of clues to uncover an ever-thickening plot involving fraud, kidnapping, and murder. Author Elliot Paul satirized the conventions of detective fiction with the first Homer Evans adventure, The Mysterious Mickey Finn. This sequel, hailed as "an excellent cocktail" by The New Republic, offers another furious frolic that upends every convention of the traditional murder mystery.