The Time Machine Did It is really, really, really funny. I decided to read it after someone posted the first page as "the funniest first page of any book."

It is extremely silly, with a dope of a detective explaining a case he barely understands, generally stumbling on important clues several times before he notices them. A typical bit is the detective handing someone a card and saying, "I had cards printed up saying I'm a private eye, so I guess until someone prints up some cards saying I'm not, I am." I find that hilariously weird.

The book is wonderful, but perhaps best read in small doses, as it reads a little like a standup comedy routine. It's got a tremendous number of hilarious jokes, but there is a sameness to the delivery that can be wearying if you read too much at one setting. And the story isn't particularly clever or engaging; this is a book you read entirely because it's laugh out loud funny all the time.

This is the first Swartzwelder book I've read, but definitely won't be the last.