The Burnt Orange Sunrise: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

David Handler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005 | Series: Berger and Mitry Mysteries

YOU'RE INVITED TO THE LAST PARTY
Everyone from Hollywood heavy hitters and supermodels to rap music stars and high-profile athletes are invited to a party to honor legendary film director Ada Geiger at the faux Castle her husband built for her in Dorset, Connecticut. This is just the kind of event Mitch Berger hates even though he idolizes Ada and credits her for inspiring him to become a film critic. It's too late for him to cancel. But Mitch gets a lucky break when a snowstorm hits.
 
OF YOUR LIFE…
One by one, the regrets come flowing in. The gathering is pared down to just a few people: Ada's son and his wife up from New York, the Castle's caretaker and her brother Les, Mitch and his beautiful police officer lover, Des Mitry, and a few others. It's the snowiest winter anyone under the age of ninety can remember in Dorset with six more inches falling every three days, stranding the guests at the Castle. But any romantic notions that may have crossed Mitch's mind are dashed when one by one the people at The Castle are killed off. Delving into the investigation, Des and Mitch are faced with their toughest case yet--one that might leave both of them dead…

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Edgar winner Handler brings back odd couple Desiree "Des" Mitry and Mitch Berger for a second enjoyable round of murder and mayhem (after 2001's The Cold Blue Blood) in the normally peaceful environs of coastal Dorset, Conn. Mitch, a New York City film critic and author of two movie reference books, is spending his first autumn on Big Sister, a private island off Dorset. Des, black, beautiful and a former homicide investigator for the Connecticut state police, has opted for such mundane duties as directing traffic, allowing her to pursue art classes at the famed Dorset Academy. Both get caught up in a squabble that pits pro-development locals against those who want Dorset to remain as it is. They also get trapped in the orbit of eccentric sculptor Wendell "Hangtown" Frye, his two wildly different daughters and murder. Handler's mix of smalltown pleasures and developers who plot to destroy the setting that preserves those pleasures is a familiar one. Nonetheless, the author's skill at depicting everyone from young children to aging adults and investing his characters with delightful quirks or grievous flaws makes this a superior read. The romance between Des and Mitch, an ill-kept secret in tiny Dorset, and bits of film trivia woven smoothly into the narrative add zest.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

New York film critic Mitch Berger (first introduced in The Cold Blue Blood) loves his adopted Connecticut village of Dorset, where conflicts have arisen between proponents of new growth and keepers of the old traditions. Mitch and lover Des (Desiree) Mitry, a black resident trooper, become involved in another murder case when they separately encounter eccentric scrap-metal artist Hangtown Frye; his elder daughter "Moose," a school teacher who opposes development; and younger daughter Takai, a real estate maven. When someone murders one of the daughters, Mitch and Des both investigate. With super characters, tantalizing prose, and great plot, this will not leave readers wanting. Highly recommended for most collections.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312985797
• ISBN-13: 978-0312985790
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,772,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

These days, I live in a 200-year-old carriage house in a quaint, ultra-WASPY little historic New England village. Not surprisingly, I've taken to writing a series of five (and counting) retro-cozy murder mysteries set in a quaint, ultra-WASPY little historic New England village. I call it Dorset. It's a place where everyone knows everything about everyone ' or at least they think they do. Trust me, they don't. Dorset is a place full of secrets, many of them deadly. That's where my deliciously mismatched heroes come in, both of them strangers in a very strange land. Mitch Berger, a pudgy Jewish widower, is the lead film critic for the most prestigious and therefore lowest paying of New York's three daily newspapers. Desiree Mitry is an alluring beautiful Connecticut State Trooper who happens to be black, a gifted artist and strangely drawn to Mitch. Under normal circumstances, these are two people whose paths would never cross. But absolutely nothing about Dorset is normal.

I started the series in 2001 with The Cold Blue Blood , which was nominated for a Dilys Award. My most recent hardcover, The Sweet Golden Parachute came out in the spring of 2006. The latest paperback is The Burnt Orange Sunrise , which I'm happy to report made a few bestseller lists. You absolutely don't have to read the Berger-Mitry books in order, but you'll find it a kick to follow the unfolding romance if you do. Personally, I've found them to be a real treat. I get a chance to dissect the village and the people where I actually live. Absolutely everyone in town reads them. And I have fun bringing my own subversive contemporary edge to the classic old-school village murder mystery. The books feel real fresh to me. I hope you like them.

The Berger-Mitrys are my second crime series. My first foray, which you may remember, featured the dapper celebrity ghostwriter Stewart 'Hoagy' Hoag and his faithful, neurotic basset hound Lulu. I wrote eight novels about Hoagy, a fallen literary wunderkind turned pen for hire who travels the underbelly of show business helping famous stars tell their life stories, secrets and all. Generally, there are plenty of people who wanted those secrets to stay safely buried. Generally, our jaded hero knows how to dig them out. My first Hoagy, The Man Who Died Laughing , was nominated for an Anthony Award. My best known in the series, The Man Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald , won an Edgar and an American Mystery Award. Sadly, several of the Hoagys are out of print right now -- so you may have to do a little on-line detective work to track them down. But go for it. You'll never find another wise-cracking hero quite like Hoagy.

Do you like political thrillers? If so, I took some time off between series a few years back to co-author an international bestselling page-turner called Gideon under the name Russell Andrews. I promise you it'll knock your socks off.

I've also taken the time to write some short fiction. Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine has published several of my short stories since 2001. Two have been included in anthologies ' Opening Shots Volume Two , edited by Lawrence Block, and A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime , edited by Jeffrey Deaver.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still in good form, March 4, 2003

By 

Michael Schau (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hot Pink Farmhouse: A Berger & Mitry Mystery (Hardcover)

Fans of Stewart Hoag, as am I, worried when Handler moved on to cases involving new crime-solvers, but Mitch Berger and Des Mitry shine in this second Sister Island mystery. Pink Farmhouse is rich with exotic characters and intriguing plot twists. Plus Handler is creating a very compelling universe in Dorset, CT, a new England village with a Norman Rockwell appearance but Peyton Place kinks. We needn't have worried about being left Hoagless, in fact, I am already eager for the next Berger mystery.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As good, if not better than, expected, November 28, 2002

By 

kmorical (Belmont, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hot Pink Farmhouse: A Berger & Mitry Mystery (Hardcover)

A very satisfying 2nd installment to this series - which I hope will have a long, successful run. The characters are so engaging, and the depiction of them in this small town, with all of the idiosyncrasies of small town people, is wonderful. Mr. Handler's insight into each of them is nothing short of masterful. I absolutely loved visiting this place with these people, and look forward to reading more about them.

I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I couldn't so much as remove 1 star even though I cringed every time Desiree (Des) broke out into `black speak.' It wouldn't have been so disturbing I suppose, if her background hadn't been mainstream/middle class. It just felt inconsistent that she spoke 3rd generation ghetto. When people, even black people, are born and raised in an environment where proper English is spoken, they typically talk like their peers - trust me, I know. Unless they're having an identity crisis and incorrectly assume they must talk like an uneducated thug in order to feel black. However, this character was portrayed as strong and self-assured, sans identity issues. Normally, I steer clear of books where the black characters are portrayed so stereotypically, but Mr. Handler managed to make this one so interestingly multidimensional that I forgive him.

I'm also glad I ignored the review that referred to the romance in the story as `gratingly cute.' I thought it was one of the most emotionally honest depictions of two wounded people falling in love that I've read - and I read a lot. It adds an additional endearing element to this mystery that is absorbing and well written.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dorset isn't quite as perfect as it seems, September 22, 2003

By 

A. Christie "bibliofiend508" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Hot Pink Farmhouse: A Berger & Mitry Mystery (Hardcover)

New York film critic, Mitch Berger and aspiring artist, former Homicide Detective, Desiree Mitry live in idyllic Dorset Connecticut. Mitch meets eccentric local artist Wendell "Hangtown" Frye at the local dump. Before you know it they become bosom bodies. Tragedy strikes the Frye family when Hangtown's daughter is killed in a car explosion when driving home from a rendezvous with a lover.

Mitch and Des are a rather unique crime-solving partnership. Their new romance is at times rather touching, and frequently cloying and sickly sweet. There are plenty of quirky characters to keep you entertained. A well-paced plot keeps the action moving. I look forward to the next entry in this series.