Boris Riskin, Scrambled Eggs

Boris Riskin, Scrambled Eggs - Turning sixty and retiring as a Shakespearean professor, Jake Wanderman looks forward to spending his golden years with his beloved wife of twenty-five years, Rosalind. However, to his shock, Rosalind walks out on Jake without an explanation insisting he should know why.

Not long afterward, Jake attends his childhood friend Morty Adler's party in the Hamptons where he meets Cynthia Organ. She tells him that Morty said that Jake would help. She explains further that her spouse Boris just died and in his secret closet in their home, she found gold bars and six Faberge eggs. Apparently the Russian mafia claims they belong to them and law enforcement from both countries wants the stolen gems. Unwittingly, Jake is involved in an international incident with murder as a calling card when all he wants is his wife back.

SCRAMBLED EGGS is a delightful amateur sleuth tale starring a bewildered hero, who spouts Shakespeare at any given moment, especially when he is nervous. The storyline is fast-paced, but held together by the likable professor who wonders what happened to his anticipated idyllic lifestyle that has gone out of control. Sub-genre fans will enjoy this tale told by a bard filled with fun and fury.

Five Star, May 2005, $25.95, 275 pp.

ISBN: 1594142912

Harriet Klausner