When a bestselling writer threatens to sell his latest novel to a rival, his enraged publisher decides to employ a hit-man to write him off permanently. Columbo is on the case.
Though not one of the best, this is still a diverting Columbo thriller, with a great script by longtime series script-editor Peter S. Fischer which touches all the usual bases - mistrust of perfect alibis, careful noting of assumptions, the gee-this-really-beats-me routine, the accomplice double-cross and the persistent nagging. This was the second of Cassidy's three appearances and he is his ever-sneering impatient self, though the best performance is by Chandler as the disturbingly psychotic Vietnam vet killer with a penchant for home-made explosives. There are plenty of well-observed scenes, like the valet-parking gag or the bit where the lawyer gives Columbo a sanctimonious lecture, only to be rebuffed with an astute comment on his client's incriminating gaffe. Nicely made all round, although like many Columbo stories, Falk's charming foible-filled escapades account for much of the viewing pleasure. Worth catching, if only for the presence of cult crime author Spillane (creator of Mike Hammer) as the victim. Dependable character actor James B. Sikking appears unbilled as a uniform.
Though not one of the best, this is still a diverting Columbo thriller, with a great script by longtime series script-editor Peter S. Fischer which touches all the usual bases - mistrust of perfect alibis, careful noting of assumptions, the gee-this-really-beats-me routine, the accomplice double-cross and the persistent nagging. This was the second of Cassidy's three appearances and he is his ever-sneering impatient self, though the best performance is by Chandler as the disturbingly psychotic Vietnam vet killer with a penchant for home-made explosives. There are plenty of well-observed scenes, like the valet-parking gag or the bit where the lawyer gives Columbo a sanctimonious lecture, only to be rebuffed with an astute comment on his client's incriminating gaffe. Nicely made all round, although like many Columbo stories, Falk's charming foible-filled escapades account for much of the viewing pleasure. Worth catching, if only for the presence of cult crime author Spillane (creator of Mike Hammer) as the victim. Dependable character actor James B. Sikking appears unbilled as a uniform.