No One Left to Come Looking for You

At the start of this charming comic mystery set circa 1993 from Lipsyte (Hark), 20-something Jonathan “Jack” Shit, who plays in “the Shits, a fast-disintegrating band” on the fringes of Manhattan’s East Village music scene, is awakened by a call from Dyl Becker at King Snake Guitars. Dyl tells Jack that the band’s smack-addled lead singer, the Banished Earl, was just in his store with Jack’s bass guitar trying to sell it days before a big gig. Earl disappears, and the stolen bass, probably swapped for drugs, ends up in the hands of a thug named Mounce, whom Jack confronts as Mounce also tries to sell the instrument. A subsequent murder raises the stakes. Jack soon connects Earl’s disappearance with an aggressive real estate mogul known for stiffing his business associates while scheming to profit at any cost from the urban renewal of New York City. A wild array of neighborhood characters and scenesters guide Jack, including Corrina, an affectionate devotee engaged in mysterious art projects. This whodunit homage comes complete with dark satirical observations of New York 30 years ago. Spinal Tap fans will want to check it out. Agent: Eric Simonoff, WME. (Dec.)