A whirlwind of movie trivia whips up Klavan's (The Cutting Room
) second hyperactive, hilarious yarn starring Roy Milano, the hardcore film fanatic last seen gleefully pursuing Orson Welles's lost treasure The Magnificent Ambersons
. But Roy is now facing desperate times as a walking billboard for the Union Square Farmer's Market to pay for his suddenly mute mother's convalescence. Roy's unrewarding pavement pounding brings him face to face with the ultimate "trivial person success story," arrogant Abner Cooley, who brags he's been commissioned to write a script for the 12-part cult fantasy novel The Seven Ordeals of Quelman
. Abner's stroke of fortune has made him a target for fanatic Quelman
fans, one of whom is trying to kill him. Abner hires Roy to find his attacker, but Roy is soon sidetracked by the prospect of obtaining a priceless copy of Jerry Lewis's unreleased Nazi drama The Day the Clown Cried
. The plot thickens when Roy finds the movie's owner, Ted Savitch, dead of a heart attack—or was it murder? A retired television star, Savitch's daughter, Dena, and a whole gaggle of oddballs sweep Roy from Manhattan to the Hamptons, on to Los Angeles and a bicycle built for two in Amsterdam, and all the while he's dodging bullets and Oscar statuettes in hectic hot pursuit of the elusive stolen videotape. A gratifying ending drops the curtain on this wholly entertaining sequel: a frenzied encore for suspense fans and an edifying indulgence for seasoned film buffs. Agent, Victoria Sanders. (Mar. 1)
