The Sour Cherry Surprise: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries) [Hardcover]

David Handler (Author)

Book Description

Series: Berger and Mitry Mysteries | Publication Date: July 8, 2008

Something has gone very wrong on bucolic Sour Cherry Lane. A straight-arrow high school student has started throwing wild sex parties. The distinguished history professor across the lane has gone missing. His estranged wife, a popular author of children’s books, is strung out on crystal meth. And the new man in her life is under surveillance by a joint federal and state drug task force.

It’s not exactly a day in Yankee paradise for Desiree Mitry, the alluring resident trooper of Dorset, Connecticut. Especially when you throw in those unwelcome fainting spells she’s been having ever since she broke it off with pudgy New York film critic Mitch Berger and took up again with her ex-husband, U.S. Attorney Brandon Stokes.

Mitch has moved on with his life, saying good-bye to Dorset and hello to a new high-profile television career. Not to mention a newly slimmed-down and styled self. Des is completely out of his system. Or so Mitch thinks.

Des, meanwhile, is furious to discover that a major drug cartel has been operating in Dorset right under her nose. Matters escalate when one of those troubled Sour Cherry Lane residents turns up dead. Des pursues the case in her own way. The problem is that her way gets her in way too deep. And there’s only person who can possibly get her out.

The question isn’t whether Mitch will ride to her rescue. The question is whether the two of them will live to tell about it.

The newest in this solidly entertaining series promises more twists and turns for the likable odd couple, and an astounding, heart-pounding conclusion.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The sixth entry in Handler’s Berger and Mitry Mystery Series adds personal uncertainty to the traditional crime and intrigue we have come to expect. The odd couple have decided to go separate ways. The black, extremely fit Connecticut state trooper Des Mitry has unexpectedly begun living with her ex-husband, Brandon. The “dough-boy,” widowed, Jewish film critic Mitch Berger, has gone back to New York, where his career is really beginning to take off. Their friends know that they’re both miserable. Meanwhile, crime is on the rise in the village of Dorset, Connecticut. A major drug cartel is now doing business in town, and a distinguished professor is found murdered. Are the crimes related? Will Mitch come back from New York to save his former lover? Will our sleuths get back together before it’s too late? Earlier books in the series featured plotlines more taut than this one, but we do really care about these characters. Handler has fun with their relationship, and we happily go along for the ride, though his signature over-the-top finales are wearing thin. --Judy Coon

About the Author

David Handler has written six novels featuring the mismatched crime-fighting duo of Mitch Berger and Des Mitry. His first, The Cold Blue Blood, was a Dilys Award finalist and a BookSense Top Ten pick. He is also the author of eight novels about the witty and dapper celebrity ghostwriter Stewart Hoag and his faithful, neurotic basset hound, Lulu, including the Edgar and American Mystery Award--winning The Man Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald.  David lives in a two-hundred-year-old carriage house in Old Lyme, Connecticut.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (July 8, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312376693
• ISBN-13: 978-0312376697
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,205,322 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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Weakest in the Series, August 19, 2008

By 

wichitagirl71 "wichitagirl" (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sour Cherry Surprise: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Let me start off by saying that I love the Berger/Mitry series. That being said, there was something about this book that just had the ring of a "rush job". This wasn't Handler's best effort. Compared to the other stories, I didn't feel the characters or the storyline were developed or fleshed out well. Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't feel the breakup was resolved at ALL. What did Des say to Mitch when she dumped him in the first place? How did she turn off her emotions to Brandon like a faucet? I know she was trying to convince herself that she was still in love with Brandon, but it just didn't ring true. Both she and Mitch pulled a couple of 180's and I felt short-changed as a reader of the series. Something was just "off" about this story that prevents me from giving it a higher rating. I hope Handler turns it around in the next book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Stroy Line, July 13, 2008

By 

Divisionred "Avid Book Reader" (Boston) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Sour Cherry Surprise: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I was so disappointed when I read that Mitch and Desi broke up. I couldn't believe that David Handler broke up the best couple...so I really couldn't wait to get my hands on this book to read why they broke up. Because at the end of the last book Brandon walked back into Desi's life after she had accepted Mitch's marriage proposal.
Well in this book, an explanantion is given about the break up...what follows next is a great ride to find out who is upsetting the tenants on Sour Cherry Lane. This was a great book very well written.

We meet new characters and some of our favorites characters are back...Bella the cranky jewish woman...she is a riot in this story as always. Also back are Lt. Rico Soave Tedone and Yolie Snipes.

There are some fabulous new characters as well Molly (9), Richard and Carolyn Procter Molly's parents, Clay Mundy and Hector Villanueva, Patricia Beckwith the land lord for Cherry Lane and her tenants plus her daughter in law and her grand daughter.

The citizens of Dorset are giving Des the cold shoulder because she broke Mitch's heart and Mitch has decided to move back to NY where he is extremely busy with his new endeavors. His agent Lacey is still around...

I loved the book and I can't wait for the next installment. Thanks

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Heavy on Mystery, Light on Romance, December 27, 2008

By 

S. Thomas (The South, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Sour Cherry Surprise: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries) (Hardcover)

The latest Berger and Mitry novel begins roughly three months or so where the last one left off. Mitch and Desiree, one of my favorite mismatched couples, are no longer a couple and Mitch is no longer a resident in Dorset, MA. This installment is mostly about the mysterious murder in Dorset and how the two lovers are coping without each other.

I primarily read this series for the interaction between Des and Mitch. Their relationship was the initial draw for me and that is what keeps me coming back. Usually the mystery fades into the background. It is just a backdrop for the evolution of their relationship. That was not the case with this book.

Since Des and Mitch are estranged during most of the book, the mystery was more front and center for me. It was interesting trying to figure out who murdered who and what were their motivations. The mystery component was more compelling in this book than in previous works. That may be because I wasn't distracted by the interaction between Des and Mitch.

Although Des and Mitch have about two actual conversations together in the entire book, the author was great at guiding the reader through their respective feelings about their separation. I could feel Desiree's confusion (even though I thought she was crazy) and Mitch's determination to move on with his life. Although their estrangement lasted almost the entire book, the last ten pages or so, made it worth the wait.

"The Sour Cherry Surprise" still retained the quirky humor and charm that is the hallmark of this series, although it was painful in certain parts. It was difficult to rate this book. I think it should rate a 3 1/2 stars. It was better than okay, but not quite up to the normal Des and Mitch standard. This is not a book that I will be reading again, unless its the last ten pages.

I would however recommend it to Des and Mitch fans, but be prepared for the frustration of the star crossed lovers being separated for the majority of the novel.