The Columbo Collection

by William Link, Joseph Goodrich (Introduction)

JUST ONE MORE THING!" Lieutenant Columbo - short and unkempt, shapeless raincoat flapping open, unlit cigar in his hand - turns towards the murderer who is certain that this undistinguished plainclothesman will never see through his perfect crime. Then - "just one more thing" and the murderer realizes that his murder plot has unraveled.

Columbo, played by the marvelous Peter Falk, appeared as a made-for-television movie in 1968, then the long-running series in 1971 - and kept coming back over the decades. One of the finest detective series ever to appear on television, Columbo was created by William Link and his late collaborator Richard Levinson. With The Columbo Collection, Link has written 12 brilliant new stories in which murderers try to get away with murder but come up against the rumpled but unflappable Lieutenant Columbo.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Crime, Collections

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 10, 2010

About the author

William Link (b. 1933) is an author, screenwriter, and producer. In the early 1960s, he and Richard Levinson created the character Lieutenant Columbo, a Los Angeles police detective known for wearing a shabby raincoat, smoking cheap cigars, and snaring murderers by playing dumb. The character first appeared in an episode of the Chevy Mystery Show, and was then featured in Prescription: Murder, a successful mystery play that was turned into a television movie in 1968. Although originally played by other actors, the part was made famous on television by Peter Falk, whose comic timing brought life to the idiosyncratic homicide detective. Beginning in 1968, Falk played the part off and on until Columbo Likes the Nightlife (2003).

Besides his work in television, Link has written plays, novels, and films, including the movie The Hunter (1980)—the last screen appearance of Steve McQueen. Link’s latest work is The Columbo Collection (2010), a volume of short stories starring the iconic cop.

Reviews

[Thomas Bruso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thumbs up! More Columbo, please!

[Sheila Beaumont · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun collection of short stories by the co-creator of the TV show they're based on, a big favorite of mine. Highly recommended for Columbo fans.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I saw this book by one of the creators of Columbo, I had to read it. I am a huge Columbo fan, having seen all the shows multiple times and I even read the authorized novels. I did enjoy the stories, but felt that short stories really aren't the best format for Columbo. After all, it's not really the plots that are important, it's the interplay between Columbo and the killer that makes the shows and character so indelible. After all, the plots are fairly simple how-is-he-going-to-catch-him stories. When I was involved in creating murder mystery weekends, we often stole clue and plot points from Columbo, and many shows on television since have done the same. (Monk is a prime example.) So the short stories, having to quickly develop and deliver on a mystery, almost seem simple and for the characterization byplay resort to having the Link tells us what the killer thinks of Columbo - which is pretty much the same each time, underestimation followed by annoyance followed by realization that it's an act. For me, the best story was where the killer was a fellow cop who knows exactly how Columbo works and doesn't fall for his tricks. So, the book is a must have for die-hard Columbo fans - regular mystery fans might not be so kind.

[Aparna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stars: 5 / 5
Recommendation: As much as the movies have enchanted, entertained and charmed the viewers, the book did the same to the readers, bringing the rumpled raincoat and cigar holding lieutenant to life.

The Columbo Collection is indeed a collection of 12 brilliant new stories in which while murders try to get away only to come up against our rumpled raincoat detective, Lieutenant Columbo. Written by William Link it was first published in March of 2010.

I have always been open on how much I love Columbo, the American crime drama television series that aired between 1968 and 2003 on TV. Several reviews of books, movies and tv shows that I wrote about have mentioned Columbo in them. I even wrote a piece dedicated to Columbo and his very first pilot Prescription: Murder too back in 2017 (https://inspirethoughts.livejournal.c...).

So it is only natural that I would buy a book with Columbo stories when I happen to come cross at a book sale. Wouldn’t I? ;) And now for my take on these stories.

William Link is the co-creator of both Columbo and Murder, She Wrote TV shows, both of which I happen to love a lot. Columbo was introduced in a 1960 episode of The Chevy Mystery Show titled "Enough Rope", with Bret Freed portraying the role of Columbo, the very first actor to do so.

After that one episode, Link and Levinson created a theater drama starring Joseph Cotton as Columbo with the title "Prescription: Murder" that ran for a year and a half before Columbo even had his own show in 1968, 8 years after the first time he was conceived. The show went on to get 13 Emmys and two Golden Globe awards among other awards and nominations. Impressive run I must say.

The central notion of creating Columbo was around the fact that the viewers already know who the murderer is, what the motive was and how it was committed. And the detective comes in after, figuring out the killers steps and finally proving it. A novel idea when Columbo first aired.

Columbo also set a stage for police procedural dramas on TV and movies alike, revolutionized how investigating should be done and also introduced the concept of a police who doesn’t even carry a gun but faces down hardcore criminals with ease.

His catch phrase "Just one more thing" is to be dreaded by the criminals. If he is doggedly following you, looking affable and trying to put you at ease, then you have landed into a trap. For, he knows surely that you are the killer.

The book begins with a foreword by Link who goes on explain how Columbo came to conceive and how he and Levinson zeroed-in on Peter Falk as the actor to play the character. Link also clears a few doubts on Columbo and tells the readers why he decided to write these stories. Boy! Am I glad he did.

The first story is titled The Criminal Criminal Attorney where a murder of a recently acquitted rapist, Kenny Santoro, is investigated. In this, Columbo is taken to meet a mobster, Joseph Santoro, which reminded me of two of Columbo episodes where he is taken to the mobster for discussion - Season 10, Episode 10 titled "Strange Bedfellows" originally aired in May of 1955; and Season 10, Episode 14 titled "Columbo Likes the Nightlife" originally aired in January of 2003, which incidentally happens to be the final episode of the show.

The second story titled Grief has Columbo investigating a hit and run accident of a doctor, George, on the request of his sister she suspected foul play. I am so used to seeing Columbo without any modern gadgets that it came as a surprise when Link has Columbo carrying a cell phone in this episode. Guess, Columbo got an upgrade too. :)

The third story titled A Dish Best Served Cold has Columbo investigating the suspicious murder of an army personnel, Captain Lawrence Lemont. While in the fourth story titled Ricochet, he is sent to New York to investigate a suspect in the murder of a paroled convict, Hammershield. We see the absolute fear of flying in Columbo in this episode.

The fifth story titled Scout's Honor involves the murder of a pretty young girl, Nancy Cook, whose body is discovered by a boy scout's group. The sixth story Sucker Punch involves the murder of Chuck Washburn, a professional wrestler.

The seventh story titled The Blackest Mail takes Columbo into tinsel town to investigate a stalking by Ray Matos gone wrong resulting in a murder. The eighth story title The Gun That Wasn't involves murder of one of their own for Columbo, Detective Charlie Bevans being the victim.

The ninth story titled Requiem For A Hitman takes Columbo into a famous judge's home, Judge Victor Copeland, involving a double murder. The title of this plot is so close to the title of Season 2, Episode 5, Requiem for a Falling Star.

The tenth story titled Trance takes Columbo into the world of hypnosis and an investigation into the murder of Ilene Louis Whitfield. The eleventh story titled Murder Allegro has Columbo investigating the murder of Elaine Morasaki, violinist in the famous group the Allegro String Quartet. The twelfth and final story is titled Photo Finish has Columbo investigating the murder of Scott Blackmer.

As much as the movies have enchanted, entertained and charmed the viewers, the book did the same to the readers, bringing the rumpled raincoat and cigar holding lieutenant to life. An easy read but very complicated plots, that make you want to go back and forth to see where you missed the clues that Columbo found. Have fun exploring through a dozen plots. Enjoy!!

Spoiler Alerts:

1. Plot reveals:
a. The book has a drawing of Columbo done by Peter Falk with a note that Peter Falk was the one who added the coat to the character that William Link co-created along-side Richard Levinson.
b. The fifth story Scout's Honor reminded me of one of Columbo's own plot where a father goes to extreme measures in protecting his son. Its from Season 3, Episode 6 titled Mind Over Mayhem.
c. The back book cover has a picture of Peter Falk dressed as Columbo and William Link aping the character.

2. Sub-Plots:
a. Peter Falk acted in the 1960 film Murder, Inc., an America gangster film, debut director for Peter Rosenberg who happened to be a very good friend of Falk.

3. Grammatical / Factual / Location / Historical / Character Errors:
a. In the third story, A Dish Best Served Cold, towards the end of the plot, Manny, one of the characters, accuses Columbo earlier when he had asked if he was a suspect, Columbo had not answered the question. But nowhere earlier in the plot does that conversation happen.
b. On Pg. 210, Line 8 from bottom, shouldn’t it be "…What's this all about…"

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of twelve stories by one of Columbo's co-creators. A nice introduction gives background on how it all came together and the fact that Peter Falk was actually the third actor to play the role.

[Ryan A. Fleming · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Columbo series seems ready made for literary adaptation, despite this, books featuring the unassuming detective in the shabby raincoat have been few and far between.

Thus, a collection of 12 new cases for the detective written by series co-creator William Link is a very exciting thing for fans of the series. Though Link and partner Richard Levinson were only credited with two teleplays during the production of the series, they had story credits on five more. More importantly, they also wrote the original stage play in which the character appeared, so certainly had a handle on the character if not all his cases. Perhaps an odd decision for The Columbo Collection was to have them set contemporarily with their late 2000s writing. Long after Peter Falk had played the role for the first time, the version of the character we get in these stories is the silver-haired version we last saw in 2003. A few years later he’s finding it more and more difficult to smoke his trademark cigars in public and has to content with the rise of mobile phones.

The oddity is, the writing feels so much of the series heyday in the 1970s that when we do get reference to or the Iraq War it snaps us right out of that familiarity, sometimes jarringly. Some of the concepts are very much rooted in contemporary culture, like “A Dish Best Served Cold” where the events of the Iraq War inform the murder, others are throwbacks, and not necessarily to the 70s. The hypnotism themed “Trace” has a plot more from the 1930s than anything we saw on the series. Then there’s the way Columbo himself is presented. It’s clearly him, the mannerisms and everything else are what we’ve come to love, but in most of the stories he’s either there for the murder or he’s the main character. What made it work on television was that Columbo was never the main character, the killer was. A few of the stories get this spot on, but only a few out of a dozen.

On the other hand, one that gets it right is also a story that breaks a lot of the formula. We do see the murder committed before we meet Columbo in “Ricochet”, but it’s all of one paragraph. It also takes the Lieutenant out of Los Angeles and to New York City, a change in scenery that does not jar as his visit to London on the series did. The resolution that the killer pulled off a transcontinental aerial Dick Turpin imitation does leave something to be desired, but the case itself and Columbo’s investigation of it did feel like something that could have been an episode of the series. On that, perhaps too many are formulaic to where if Link wasn’t going to be innovative how they’re told we should have seen more stories like “Grief” or “The Gun That Wasn’t”. Neither of those stood out especially except for the reason for the murders, which were atypical for the series and the collection.

Though still enjoyable for fans of the series, it does feel like a missed opportunity to translate the series to the page. Emblematically, there are as many whodunnits as howcatchems.

[Hugesinker · Rating 3 out of 5]

After watching and very much enjoying the complete Columbo series, I found this book by one member of the major writing team. Twelve short stories of varying quality, many of which could have been easily bulked up into pretty good full episodes. A few of them have major aspects and plot points that are duplicated in existing episodes of the television series, so those wouldn't have worked-- In some cases, I suspect that the story might have been an early draft outline for an actual episode. Though, temporally, there are hints that all of the stories should be understood to take place after the television series.

One thing missing from these stories is the murderer being set up to incriminate themselves in the end; like what occasionally happens in the series. Instead, there's usually a key piece of evidence that closes the book on the whole thing. In several of the stories, there is no possible way to have guessed how Colombo could have figured it out because there was no hint of the key piece of evidence until the end-- it just kind of jumps out in the last paragraph or two and surprises the reader. That was really disappointing. An example is the story Sucker Punch, where the reader is never clued into the fact that the killer was smoking while laying in wait-- that would have been easy to include.

There are a few gems in there and the writing quality was decent. The stories are often written from the perspective of the murderer, so it's interesting to be able to read their thoughts. My favorite stories were-- Requiem for a Hitman, Photo Finish, and Ricochet.

[Ethan Tabor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not awful, but it's definitely not good detective literature. The stories are quite short, with quick dialogue and setups for the murders (a couple of stories set up the murder in record time in just a paragraph).

Columbo is given more personal screen time, and I prefer the approach in the show where you can't tell how genuine he is when he's pestering his suspects. In this book, we get confirmation that Dog the Basset Hound died years ago, Columbo has a niece who appears with him, and he does indeed have a wife as he speaks to her. I assumed she was a real person ever since the Troubled Waters episode had a passenger say she was looking for the detective, but still, the unknown is more fun at times.

Columbo as a character is not his normal self of playing his sly cat and mouse questioning, but is more direct and threatening to the baddies, which kind of takes away from what makes him special.

Some stories have neat premises like the Japanese restaurant shoe thing or the speeding ticket violation one, but for the most part, they are quick and forgettable.
It's quite unfortunate since one of the two who created the character wrote these, and he is no longer with us, but oh well. We still have the old episodes and the revival of memes.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the nostalgia of reading familiar characters in new situations. I recognize the difficulty authors face in translating a film experience to a literary endeavor.

These stories all feature Columbo , that irritating, persistent detective. The author is up to the task of creating a mind’s eye view of wrinkled clothing, scuffed shoes, and the ever-present raincoat. He masters the dialogue so the reader can almost hear the detective’s accent. We can view the wrinkled brow, the upturned eyebrow, and the knowing smirk.

However, because this is a collection of short stories the work all seems a bit overly rushed. The tension never really has time to Mount before the revelation begins. The stories pretty much fall short of the television movies because of this. The plots are not nearly as clever as those we once viewed.

The collection come close, but not close enough.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hm, this is a tough one. As a Columbo fan, this was a really good read. The plots are intriguing, and the Columbo-twists are impeccable. I could see every story in my head, like mini-episodes, and I could hear every line of dialogue like Peter Falk was sitting right next to me. But. Oh, the but. Now I know this collection was written by the creator of Columbo, who even won an Emmy for writing an episode of the series. But. Writing-wise, it's just not that great. Awkward, dated, and stilted, these stories read like they were written by a first-time author whose only experience with mystery writing is, well, Columbo. So why the four stars? Because the author got one thing right: Columbo himself. Anyway, if you're a fan of Columbo, then you'll probably enjoy these stories.

[Adam Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been nearly eight and a half years since the last Columbo movie and with star Peter Falk reportedly suffering from Alzheimers, it's the last we'll see of him in that iconic role.

Creator William Link, has returned to working on Columbo sans Peter Falk, writing a play, Columbo Takes the Rap. Last year, Link released The Columbo Collection, the first ever compilation of Columbo short stories, featuring twelve Columbo adventures.

The Columbo Collection is a must for any fan of the series. Usually, writing these sort of volumes falls to people who are not really associated with the series or whose affiliation is loose, and they can't get the character accurate. Link brings credibility to the stories and gets Columbo pretty close to right.

To truly enjoy the book, your expectations have to be properly set. Reading the stories is not going to come close to replaciating the fun of watching Columbo on television or the depth of the stories. Each story is between 15-26 pages long. Some of the preluds to the murder in TV episodes would take longer than that to tell. We're looking at far less complex cases where some elements of Columbo are going to be missing.

Columbo's unique structure doesn't lend itself well to these sort of limitations, so it's no surprise that the book is a mixed bag.

On the positive side, as a master of mystery, Link created several memorable gems, some of which approached the level of being lik e a mini-Columbo episode:

"The Criminal Criminal Defense Attorney"- A lawyer gets his client acquitted of rape and then kills him. This story does a good job portraying the mental duel between Columbo and the attorney, and the final clue is classic Columbo. Also, a high powered defense attorney is perhaps the closet any of the stories come to Columbo's usual battle against an elitest. The only weakspot of this story is the motive is weak.

"The Blackest Mail"-The longest story in the book and well-worth. An actress murders a man who is trying to blackmail her by trying to make it look like self-defense. Now she has to evade Columbo. This one did a great job with the cat and mouse chase.

"Trance"-In several stories, Link doesn't show us the murder, but it's clear from the beginning who Columbo thinks is "the guy" (to quote Monk.) Such as is the case with "Trance" as we know from the beginning that Columbo's suspicion lies firmly on a hypnotist that has an airtight alibi. The way that Columbo breaks the alibi is classic. Unfortunately, the way Columbo puts the murderer at the scene of the crime is weak.

"Murder Allegro"-Another where we don't see the murder, but are relying on Columbo who is sure that a musician murdered his wife, who was also part of the band. This one is not only a howcatchem but a howdidit. On both points, this story works.

"Photo Finish"-This story was unique in staying in the viewpoint of the murderer from start to finish as she plots the murder of her philandering husband. This character has a very distinct voice as a woman scorned out for revenge at all cost and annoyed by her amateur mistakes in the murder game. Unfortunatley for her, Columbo basically walks into the solution.

Opposite the table of contents, The Columbo Collection also features a very nice sketch of Columbo drawn by Peter Falk. Link also writes an introduction to his piece that contains much the same information as he's posted on his website but had a couple interesting details.

One was about Bert Freed, who was the first actor to play Columbo as the first Columbo telepay was an episode of the Chevy Mystery Show. Link ran into Freed and found out that Freed had forgotten he'd ever played Columbo. I found it amusing that if Freed had somehow landed on Jeopardy, he would missed the question of, "The first actor to play Columbo."

On the negative side, the story Grief was the weakest of the lot. Everything about the story was weak. And the story was made worse when Columbo tried to mitigate one elderly man running over another, because the driver thought the pedestrian had committed a hit and run on his dog.

Most of the other stories that aren't listed above are forgetable, with weak plots, weak conclusions, or weak characters. They don't possess all of these problems, but they're seriously handicapped by the short story format and trying to have Columbo have a battle of wits and solve a case in 20 pages.

Also, in many of these stories, Link does a poor job choosing his villains. Part of the appeal of Columbo is the every man again battling the rich, famous, and powerful. Putting Columbo up against other everymen as Link does when he puts Columbo against a Gardener-War Veteran, another cop of about equal rank, a retiree, and a man who lost his girlfriend to a would-be-assassn's ricochet does just that. Of course, that would be realistic, but Columbo has never been about realism.

The first five stories contain motives buried in psychobabble that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Thankfully, Link proceeds to a patern of use more traditional motives like jealousy, greed, and revenge which work far better in short story form.

One hopeful sign is that these stories do appear to be published in the order in which Link wrote them and the last few attempts are far more refined, with the last three stories all making my list of the gems in the book., which means if he opts to do another Columbo collection, he may be in better form.

Personally, I would probably have much preferred a collection of three or four Columbo novellas which would have provided more time for the format to work. Still, it was a worthy read, particularly for fans that miss that rumpled rain coat.

[Ethan Hulbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Columbo Collection is an entertaining little book with a dozen short (~20 page) stories featuring Lt. Columbo doing his thing, written by one of the showrunners. I enjoyed reading this book and felt "complete" more or less after also seeing all the Columbo episodes, etc. However, the book itself wasn't as good as an episode. Some of the mysteries were good, but some were really very uneventful, the clues weren't ingenious at all, just very standard. And Peter Falk really makes Columbo, Columbo; it just doesn't come through quite the same without him when it's in written form. Still though, a good book, easily digestable short stories, worth a read.

[Louis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing replaces seeing Peter Falk play the rumpled Lt. Columbo on TV. As he got older, he seemed to grow even more into the role. Still, there is a great deal of fun in this collection of stories by the character's co-creator William Link. As with most short-story collections, they are of varying quality, but all feel like decent episodes could have been adapted from each one. A fun bonus is Link's account of the creation of Columbo and why they first offered the role to Bing Crosby. Any fan of the series will enjoy this collection.

[Groucho · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Columbo with all my heart. And I love William Link for helping create the rumpled detective. And I love that this book exists. I do.

But I do not love the book.

The stories are weak, the game of cat and mouse between Columbo and the suspects is almost non-existent, and the results are ultimately unsatisfying.

If you’re a Columbo completist, then the book is probably worth a read (borrow it or check it out from the library, though. You probably won’t want to own it). For anyone else, do yourself a favor and just turn the tv on.

[Dawn D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Columbo, so it was great to see him back again in these short stories.

I liked reading this book as they were short stories about my all time favorite detective. Additionally I read this book to examine how the dialogue was written. This helped me in my own writing. It was good to see that I don't need to write, he said, she said, but instead if the character's voice is clear enough no attribution is needed.

Here's to just one more thing.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Columbo, so I enjoyed the stories. Some adhered to the Columbo formula--we know the murderer and are trying to figure out how Columbo solves it--while others are indeed whodunits. They're clever enough and entertaining. Character development is rather stunted; they are sort stock Columbo characters who need an actor or actress to flesh out the characters. The stories worked better for me when I mentally cast them.

A nice visit with the good Lt. Columbo!

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short original Columbo stories by the man who co-created my favorite detective.

The Criminal Criminal Attorney - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Grief - ⭐⭐⭐

A Dish Best Served Cold - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Ricochet - ⭐⭐⭐

Scouts Honor - ⭐⭐⭐

Sucker Punch - ⭐⭐⭐

The Blackest Mail - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Gun That Wasn't - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (I really loved the gotcha moment in this one)

Requiem For a Hitman - ⭐⭐⭐

Trance - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Murder allegro - ⭐⭐⭐

Photo Finish - ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

[Carly Really Very Normal]

I was expecting a little more out of this collection of short stories. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't what I was looking for, and I just wanted to move on to something more exciting. I've been really digging fast-paced, exciting thrillers and mysteries lately, and this just wasn't cutting it.

[Marg Siegler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore Columbo!!

I really adored the tv series "Columbo". I find myself watching this series again So I was delighted to see this collection of short stories. I am off to find more. Happy reacding, fans.

[jan dobrucki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice Book

… you can “see” these stories in your imagination as episodes you may have missed on TV. It’s like when you’re flicking through TV channels and there’s one on and you can’t remember it …

[Bluesheedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gotta love Columbo

I thoughly enjoyed all these short stories. Rekindling my memories of the television show Columbo and Peter Falk as the little man in a raincoat.
Well worth reading for any fan of the great detective.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short, simple mysteries that are okay. Not that the quality of the stories matter since if you're reading this, it's probably because you want Peter Falk in your head for a few hours. Link captures Columbo's personality quite well. I didn't like that the stories were updated to more modern times. Columbo shouldn't have a cell phone. There's also too much of Columbo trying to smoke in every story and being told he can't. I'm fairly certain that by the time cell phones were common, the presumption was you could not smoke anywhere you wanted.

[Danny Reid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, brief collection. The introduction is more interesting than the stories, but it’s fun to watch the Columbo format shrank to a microcosm.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting tales in the style of the Columbo movies. I found several of the plots borrow from the movies but changed enough to remain I interesting.

[Dana Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Columbo the tv series. I have found that the books are just as good, if not better because you learn even more about the detective. I enjoyed reading the short stories in this collection.

[Lisbeth Mizula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Columbo! I bought and read this book years ago and loved it!

[Walt Carlson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining but slight.

[Anmol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such fun to read, love the tv show and was delighted that there was a collection of short stories in this book.

[Bruce Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent yarns but book could have done with some editing. I'd have cut a couple of stories and lengthened / fleshed out others.

[Jonathan Waugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good - like reading short new episodes of the TV show.