Columbo: Murder by the Book on AllMovie

Looking more like a unmade bed than one of the world's greatest homicide detectives, Lt. Columbo is still the best man to solve the mysterious death of a popular mystery writer. Though he quickly finds the culprit, the killer has devised airtight alibis and Columbo must use all of his considerable faculties to trick him into a confession. Steven Spielberg's direction coupled with Steven Bochco's deft writing and Peter Falk's flawless portrayal of the laid-back gumshoe, makes "Murder by the Book" one of the series' finest episodes.