The Naked Truth (novel)

The Naked Truth is a novel written by American author Leslie Nielsen. Published in 1998, it is a comedic murder mystery. The story centers around a mild-mannered accountant, Harold Petersen, who stumbles upon a blackmail scheme involving photographs taken at a nudist colony. Harold is subsequently mistaken for a professional hitman and finds himself entangled in a series of increasingly absurd and dangerous situations. The book relies heavily on slapstick humor and the incongruity of Petersen's personality with the violent world he's thrust into, a style reminiscent of Nielsen's comedic film roles, particularly in the Naked Gun series. The novel's humor is largely based on mistaken identity, physical comedy, and parodies of detective fiction tropes. Its success relied significantly on Nielsen's established persona as a comedic actor.