The author of Kiddo and Boss returns with his latest ""Hoagy"" mystery as ghostwriter Stewart Hoag deals with his very pregnant ex-wife and his new client--a TV sitcom star arrested in a porno theater.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Great fun from Handler in his sixth Stewart Hoag adventure (The Boy Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald won an Edgar in 1991), despite its overwrought climax and a villain whom psychologically hip readers will spot before the actual unmasking. Former literary boy-wonder Hoagy has sunk to ghosting the showbiz autobio of children's TV star Lyle ("Uncle Chubby") Hudnut, who's attempting a comeback after an arrest for indecent exposure in a Times Square porn theater. Lyle, a 300-pound bundle of crazed energy, ego and cruelty, is sure that someone-or the world-is out to get him and believes the book will generate sympathy. There are personal complications: Lyle's co-star is his ex-wife; the network's executive producer is an ex-girlfriend; his current fiancee is the show's producer, a spot coveted by an assistant producer; and the show's writers are angling for control. A fire on the set, food poisoning and the bizarre murder of the newest cast member wreak havoc. A subplot involves Hoagy's celebrity ex-wife, who's pregnant and won't identify the father, but the best part of the book is Hoagy's gimlet-eyed observations of the fierce, delicious and dizzy infighting in Sitcom Land.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Handler (The Boy Who Never Grew Up, LJ 9/1/92) presents celebrity ghostwriter Steward Hoag who, on hand to author a book about television comic Lyle Hudnut, finds himself in the midst of mayhem and murder after Lyle's arrest in a porno movie theater. Stewart's dog, Lulu, and his ex-wife, actress Merilee, complicate matters.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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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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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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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Above average mystery, but getting old,
By Scampi Cat (NM, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Man Who Cancelled Himself, The (Mass Market Paperback)
I would recommend this book to first time Handler readers and followers of the series. But a note to those reading the novels in order: while the stock phrases and jokes that crop up in not only every book and but then in every other chapter are endearing, they are losing their appeal.The set-up is very much like the previous books, (Hoagy's ghosting for a nut that only Hoagy can control, beautiful women throw themselves at Hoagy, Hoagy and Merilee fuss over Lulu, Hoagy eats and dresses well) and your anticipation may be more about the latest in the Hoagy/Merilee relationship than the murderer's identity. There are 2 more in this series after this one. Handler isn't updating this series anymore, and that's okay. I love Hoagy, but I also love the new team, Mitry and Berger. Handler was right to begin a new series; it's fresh, and so are the jokes!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligent page-turner,
This review is from: Man Who Cancelled Himself, The (Mass Market Paperback)
An intriguing twist on standard whodunits with a rich stew of Holywood-in-Manhattan characters. The whole thing is a little gaudier than reality, but intelligent and well-written enough to enjoy it. The main character, Uncle Chubby, is from the first page intriguing; the first-person author, a literate foil to the television excesses. The characters are thoroughly interesting, and the writing is sharp and full of the right kind of detail. And the whole thing moves along. Great entertainment, while occasionally provoking a thought.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Intelligent page-turner,
This review is from: Man Who Cancelled Himself, The (Mass Market Paperback)
An intriguing twist on standard whodunits with a rich stew of Holywood-in-Manhattan characters. The whole thing is a little gaudier than reality, but intelligent and well-written enough to enjoy it. The main character, Uncle Chubby, is from the first page intriguing; the first-person author, a literate foil to the television excesses. The characters are thoroughly interesting, and the writing is sharp and full of the right kind of detail. And the whole thing moves along. Great entertainment, while occasionally provoking a thought.
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