Would It Kill You to Smile?

When second-rate ventriloquist Skipper Keats dies of a heart attack at his comedy club, Skipper's son Will learns of the bizarre codicil to his father's will: Skipper has requested that he be buried with Dapper O'Dell, his favorite dummy. But after the funeral, and after Dapper visits Will in a dream, Will realizes that the grave is not, after all, the appropriate resting-place for this very valuable piece of teakwood. Will's surreptitious exhuming of the coffin reveals a new surprise, someone has beaten him to it. The dummy is gone, and the mystery is afoot. The result is great entertainment in the form of an irresistible blend of comedy and mystery.