Just grabbed this off the shelf at the library, not knowing anything about it. I enjoyed it and have now received the first two novels in this series from the library, and will finish off the series. As I was reading this, Hoagy reminded me of another detective that I read years ago. It finally dawned -- Lawrence Sanders' Palm Beach detective, Archy McNally.

Two years ago I read The Girl with the Kaleidoscope Eyes, the continuation, two decades after he stopped writing the series, of David Handler's Stewart Hoag Mysteries. And despite not being much of a mystery reader, I thoroughly enjoyed the witty and fun amateur detective mystery. So it's no surprise that I happily added the second novel in this series reboot (actually tenth if you count the books from 20 years ago) to my stacks. Having finally gotten around to reading it, I found that it was a welcome re-immersion in the life of Hoagy and his faithful basset hound Lulu.

It's 1993 and Hoagy is living in his ex-wife, famous actress Merilee Nash's guest cottage out in Connecticut. He's working feverishly on his second novel and feeling really confident about what he's producing. Meanwhile Merilee is working hard on a production of Noel Coward's "Private Lives," which she is directing as a special, one night fundraising event to save Sherbourne Playhouse, a summer playhouse where many famous actors, including Merilee, made their stage debuts. Acting in the play with her are three of her very famous, Oscar winning Yale School of Drama classmates and one young, unknown but talented actress. When another former classmate, R J Romero, the one who everyone thought was the most talented, the most likely to make it and make it big, reappears, it is clear that the grudges and animosity from that time in all their lives has never completely disappeared. In fact, R J, now a criminal and drug addict, is blackmailing Merilee for something scandalous that could derail her career forever. Hoagy is determined to protect Merilee, because although she is his ex-wife, he still loves her, and so he gets a little more involved in the upcoming production than he normally would. That means he's right on site when after the successful first act of the play, performed in front of an audience of who's who in Hollywood and Broadway, one of the leads is found murdered in his dressing room. Hoagy, Lulu, and the police have to uncover the murderer in what is almost a locked door mystery, backstage and below stairs in the dilapidated, storm flooded playhouse.

When Handler wrote the first books in the series, it was the 90s so they were set in present day. Now they are set twenty years in the past but Handler has done a fantastic job of still grounding the book in that time period through references, name dropping (especially the actors expected at the fundraiser), and the technology used. Hoagy is a likable character and he narrates the novel. In order to keep the reader in suspense until the very end, he will intentionally leave out information, answers to questions he's asked or even the question itself, in order to signal to the reader that he is on the right track, even if we readers aren't yet. Lulu is an adorable sidekick who is only anthropomorphized to the extent that other dog owners understand but her sniffing investigations do help Hoagy in his conclusions. The wit and humor threads through the story and the visuals of Hoagy's attire are a complete delight. The ending is a surprise but an entirely believable one. As a bonus, in this novel, the whydunit relies on a situation that is quintessentially 90s. I liked the previous installment a little bit better than this one but I am still looking forward to the next novel because I enjoy my time with Hoagy, Merilee, and Lulu. If you're looking for a fun and quick whodunit read, you should definitely take a look at this one. ( )

When it comes to the Stewart Hoag mysteries, I find it hard to be critical. I'm in love with "Hoagy" and his adorable canine sidekick Lulu. So even when they're doing a bit too much celebrity name-dropping and indulging in that old climax-cliche of bringing all the suspects together for the big reveal, I'm still having fun. I do sort of worry about Lulu eating all that cat food, but hey she's survived all these years on a wonky diet, so I guess they know what they're doing.

This one was not quite as wonderful as last year's Girl with Kaleidoscope Eyes, but it was still a great read. Hope there's another on its way. ( )

This is a classic murder mystery, writer Stewart Hoag is at his ex-wife, Merilee's farmhouse in Connecticut with his basset hound, Lulu. He's here to try too find some solitude in the country to put him in the right frame of mind to write his novel. On the other hand Merilee is working hard trying too raise donations to save the Sherbourne Playhouse from demolition, she's planning on holding a benefit play to raise a great deal of the money needed to save the theatre from destruction. The plot thickens when Greg Farber is found dead in the basement of the playhouse after the first act of the play was performed. This throws everything haywire, the performance of the rest of the play is halted and the investigation begins as to who wanted Greg dead and who had the opportunity too commit such an act. ( )

This is a fun little read. An Americanization of the English traditional "Gentleman Detective " genre. The case is one of blackmail against a famous actress currently engaged in a community play house production. the deceive and his trusty hound must thwart the dastardly villain and save the damsel.

The book is well written and story unfurls at a pace that makes it perfect for a poolside read. I found my self smiling at several passages, as our protagonist is blessed with a sardonic wit. A very pleasant read. ( )