along with patrick mcgoohan and robert culp and jack cassidy be an iconic columbo villain . the very first proper episode of columbo and follow two standalone pilot and murder by the book be not far off classic status . jack cassidy play ken franklin and one half of a murder mystery write partnership . his partner jim be the talented one and whereas ken have no talent other than the gift of the gab and a skill for promote the book . as soon a jim have decide he no longer require ken marketing skill and ken hatch a plot to kill jim . except it not a new plot and it actually the implementation in real life of a murder storyline originally intend for one of their book . it doesn not take columbo long to work out that ken be the murderer and although unfortunately another murder have to take place ( ken romance and then kill a key witness ) before columbo have enough evidence to secure a conviction . nothing whatsoever wrong with murder by the book and but it not quite top notch . i would just give publish or perish the edge over this represent both episode feature jack cassidy and the world of publishing and but publish or perish be a fraction more tense and unpredictable . but this be still a great episode .