Customer Reviews

The Bright Silver Star: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries)

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Tito Molina and Esme Crockett are the Bennifer of Dorset, CT. They're famous, impossibly gorgeous and married. They, their publicist, their fans and van loads of paparazzi have descended on the peaceful, posh village of Dorset for a few weeks of relaxation. However, after a midnight extra-marital tryst goes awry, Tito winds up at the bottom of a cliff very dead, the victim of an apparent suicide.

Mitch Berger, newly minted resident of Dorset and movie critic for the New York Times is devastated. Although he viciously drubbed Tito's most recent film, he had gotten close to the troubled young superstar. He felt that Tito was an outstanding actor who was simply wasting his talent on big budget dreck. And there was the little matter that Mitch was the last (well second to last if you count Tito's murderer) to actually speak to Tito.

Enter Des Mitry, Dorset's resident Trooper and Mitch's lady love. Des is called to the scene of Tito's death and is thus pulled into the investigation surrounding what turns out not to be suicide after all, but murder.

Once again Des and Mitch team up to help solve a crime in the elite little enclave known as Dorset.

This book is the third in a series following "Cold Blue Blood" and "Hot Pink Farmhouse." This was quite a fun little book which took me no time at all to read. I didn't really care very much about the characters of Tito or Esme since neither of them were at all sympathetic. But that really doesn't matter because this book, and the two others before it in the series, is really about Mitch's assimilation into the Dorset community and the evolution of his relationship with Des. Murder and Mayhem make for great plots, but the soul of this series is the three main characters: Mitch, Des and the village of Dorset.

The plot of the story is really a by-the-numbers murder mystery. Long time mystery readers or even people with twisty minds will figure out the whodunit (if not the why-dunnit) very quickly. There are the requisite red-herrings and even a secondary plot involving post 9/11 vandalism against a Muslim couple. Who was Tito meeting that night? What is the real nature of his relationship with his wife? Why does Esme's mother hate the snarky publicist so much? Are the Crockets trying to manipulate Des and Mitch by revealing so much so soon? These questions are answered in due time.

In the meantime, we get a picture of a closed and elite Dorset society willing to keep secrets and cover up scandals. We see the imperfections of a so called perfect family and many not so perfect "perfect" marriages. We are witness to the Peyton Place-esque bed-hopping of the residents and the murky tangled relationships that exist. In the midst of it all is Sexy Des, who tries to solve a mystery in her forthright, no-nonsense, take no prisoners manner. And Mitch, whose life-imitates-movies observations often bring the funny. Did I mention these books are quite humorous?

The biggest minus of this book is that I wanted to see more of the residents we'd met in the previous books. This one did bring back Bitsy and her troubled ballerina daughter, Becca. But I really didn't recognize any other Dorseteers from the previous books.

The biggest plus (other than the really cute relationship between Des & Mitch) is the continued evolution of Des' erstwhile partner, Soave. He was a jerk in the first book, by the second book he was actually human. And now in this third book you really actually like him.

I highly recommend.

This is a fast-paced, edgy, mystery with just enough cynicism, wit and plot twists to entertain even the most well-read mystery fan. It will most appeal to fans of Margaret Truman and Nelson DeMille. It is a perfect plane read.
Bright Shining Star takes place in Dorset, a small New England town that would probably prefer an unlisted zip code. After several of the well-known town secrets are revealed, it is hard not to think of the town itself as a character. Unfortunately for Doset, but luckily for the reader, it's anonymity disappears first with the arrival of a troubled movie star couple and then with a suspicious "suicide." With the help of very engaging characters and edge-of-your seat action, Handler issues the reader a passport to the townspeople's inner lives and keeps you guessing at who may have really done it and why. Having myself grown up in Old Lyme, CT (where Handler lives and writes), I can imagine every aspect of this novel in full-color, real-life detail. His writing is both believable and enjoyable. I look forward to reading more of his mysteries!

Mitch Berger is a transported New York film critic in the Connecticut Gold Coast village of Dorset. He has recently been widowed. Now that the grief has eased he has fallen in love with a beautiful, black State Trooper, Desiree Mitrey who is also a gifted artist. They make somewhat of an odd couple, but prove that opposites do indeed attract.

Famous movie star Tito Molino comes back to Dorset for a visit with his actress wife, a Dorset native. Mitch has given Tito a horrendous review for his latest film. When they meet up at a local restaurant, punches are thrown and blood is drawn. Tito is volatile to say the least. When Tito is found dead at the bottom of a cliff, the focus of the investigation starts with Mitch. Things are never quite that simple especially in a community where bed hopping is a favorite pastime. Mitch is disheartened with his friends when truly ugly secrets surface.

David Handler has created a unique duo as protagonists for his series. It's not often we get a slightly overweight Jewish average joe kind of a guy hooked up with a exotic beauty who likes to rescue cats and create art as much as she likes to solve crime. This is the third in the series; the previous two are THE HOT PINK FARMHOUSE and THE COLD BLUE BLOOD. Each is atmospheric giving you a nice sense of a tiny seaside village. The plots are well crafted. I would recommend the whole series if you want easy readable books. They are a pretty fast read so you don't need a lot of time commitment. The one fault with THE BRIGHT SILVER STAR is that the secondary cast for the most part is not likable. I didn't care too much who ended up the culprit-all the characters were sort of slimy.

I'm a David Handler fan. Read the first two in this series. Loved the first and so-so about the second. This is the third, I think. It was too similar to the second. If an author is writing a series with consistent characters I think each plot needs to be clearly different than the last or they all run together. I think they call that "Jessica Fletcher" syndrome -- one plot is pretty much just like all the others.

I have come to love David Handlers characters, writting style, and subtle way of educating you while giving you a great story. Throwed in with a little odd couple, it plays like a weekly series. With each installment of his series his work is refined. If you have a chance to read Cold Blue Blood, please do. You can see the difference and the growth of his main characters, Mitch and Desiree.

I enjoyed visiting Dorset again. Mr. Handler does a wonderful job of creating endearing characters. Although I had very little sympathy for the murder victim, a colossal jerk, I found myself suspecting almost everyone. Reading about the peculiar residents of this fictional town is escapism at it's best. Keep them coming.

Near Dorset, Connecticut, movie star Tito Molina drives through the protective railing overlooking a cliff side to his death. Though it appears to have been an accident, State trooper Desiree Mitry investigates the incident with the press corps devouring everyone and everything in its quest for sensationalism. The media is bad enough, but Tito's fans also flock to the site impeding the investigation to determine whether this was an accident, suicide, or homicide as enough evidence surfaces to cause doubt. For relief from the pressure cooker Desiree turns to her squeeze, expatriate New York film critic Mitch Berger.

Between the media and the police, Gold Coast residents find their nighttime sex secrets revealed. It seems much of the populace spends more time out of home and in someone else's bed than the military does (Rumsfeld would want to make this the goal). All this bed hopping just makes the case more complex as many folks had a reason to kill the actor. Desiree is horrified to learn that Mitch also had a run in, though not sexual, with the deceased after trashing a film starring Tito. Then a second death in a motel bed occurs.

Though more like Peyton Place than a police procedural, fans of the series will enjoy the return of M & M. The story line is filled with characters hopping from one bed to another, providing motives and opportunities for wanting Tito dead as the film star is one of the more frequent boudoir travelers. The interference of the press and the Tito's fans offer insight into a celebrity investigation, but that still takes second place to sex in the suburbs.

Harriet Klausner