The Man Who Loved Women to Death [Hardcover]

David Handler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 1997

A serial killer is showing Hoagy his novel in progress--and every chapter is murder....

Once Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag was the toast of the publishing world and the husband of luscious Broadway beauty Merilee Nash. Now, reunited with Merilee in proud parenthood, Hoagy ghosts celebrity memoirs to pay the rent. And solves the occasional murder, aided by Lulu, his anchovy-eating basset hound.

A ghostwriter usually chooses his clients, but this time Hoagy finds himself chosen. His new client calls himself the Answer Man, and he's mailing Hoagy anonymous installments of his work in progress. Each one narrates the stalking and strangling of a lovely young woman--and it's no sooner in Hoagy's mailbox than the cops find her corpse: branded with orange-lipstick question marks. Hoagy's deadly pen pal--bent on a megabestseller and a movie deal--is seeking his literary advice, and Hoagy's being tagged by both the police and the press as a twisted killer's go-between.

Hoagy has some questions of his own for the elusive Answer Man. But the closer he gets to the truth, the less he likes what he finds. For Hoagy fears the prolific killer may be someone too close to him for comfort. And that the next chapter of the Answer Man's grisly opus might be Hoagy's last.


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Ghost-writer Stewart Hoag confronts the biggest challenge of both his writing and sleuthing careers. A calculating serial killer in New York writes about his crimes as they occur and sends the chapters to Hoag, his "collaborator." Pressured by police and press, Hoag suspects an old friend. Fun reading from the author of The Girl Who Ran Off with Daddy (LJ 2/1/96).
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Nearly 30 years ago, three boys became friends: unassuming, nerdy Ezra Spooner; Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag, who became a famous writer; and Tuttle Cash, the golden boy who had everything. The three eventually drifted apart, but they're about to be reunited in a most chilling manner. Hoagy recently received the first chapter of an unsolicited manuscript from an unidentified author. The chapter is a daring, violent, menacing, and brilliant story about a serial killer who befriends a young woman who works in a pet store and then strangles her with a lamp cord. A few days later, to Hoagy's horror, the body of a young woman--a pet-store employee--is found. The victim's physical description, the modus operandi, and the location of the body are identical to the murder described in the chapter Hoagy received. Teaming up with his old nemesis, hip, hyper NYPD Lieutenant Romaine Very, Hoagy struggles to make sense of the chilling case and soon finds himself suspecting that one of his old pals may be the killer. Handler has written a sleek, sophisticated, over-the-top story that's filled with red herrings, laugh-aloud humor, and plenty of suspense. Four stars. Emily Melton

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (April 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385480520
• ISBN-13: 978-0385480529
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,442,007 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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stewart Hoag mysteries get better every time out, December 26, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Man Who Loved Women to Death (Stewart Hoag Mystery) (Audio Cassette)

As one who has read all the Stewart Hoag mysteries by David Handler I feel qualified in saying each one is better than the last! Not only are the books getting thicker, they are getting more rewarding and entertaining. The characters, plots, dialog, humour and Handler's voice improve with age. In this outing, an old Ivy League classmate of Hoag's is accused of murdering women. The suspect clearly fits the bill given his violent and abusive past . . . and present! Though 'King Tut' Tuttle is suspected even by his good friend Hoag of committng these murders, 'Hoagy' owes it to himself, Tuttle and their faded friendship to investigate as only he can. The story is filled with great characters, moments of suspense and enough likely suspects and red herrings to keep the reader entertained and guessing throughout. Readers familiar with this series will be happy to know Lulu, Merilee Nash and even Hoag's beloved vintage Jaguar continue their usual prominent roles.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handler is fabulous. Can't get enough of Hoagy and Lulu., June 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Man Who Loved Women to Death (Mass Market Paperback)

I just recently discovered David Handler with "The Girl Who Ran Off with Daddy" and was thrilled to finally find "Loved Women to Death." My only complaint is that it's so hard to find his books (i.e. out of print, etc.). I highly recommend him for anyone with a sense of humor who also loves mystery. He's as clever a writer as I have read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Handler does it again!, June 10, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Man Who Loved Women to Death (Hardcover)

Handler does it again! I bought the book and I can't sleep! Why? Because my wife is up all night reading it and laughing out loud