David Handler

Isn't it funny how over time your tastes change? There are foods I never liked as a child that I love now and some I used to like and am less impressed with now. There are colors I like better than I used to, clothing styles I wouldn't have touched with a ten foot pole that I'll now wear. And of course, my reading tastes have evolved too. I started out reading everything. Then I went through a stage where if it wasn't literature (and please pronounce that as lit-ruh-chure and loft your nose show more into the air as you say it), I wasn't interested. I was a serious reader, you see. Then I went through a phase where I read romances like candy, devouring their guaranteed happily ever afters. Now I like to think I am a much more balanced reader. I want something that is well-written. I like it to be thoughtful but it doesn't always have to be. Most of all, though, I want a cracking good story. That can mean heavy or light, funny or not. But it means a book that keeps me turning the pages, wanting to live in its world (although for the sad or heavy books, maybe not as one of the characters!). And I am finding these across genres. They happen in literature. They happen in romances. They happen in commercial fiction. To my surprise (and perhaps down to my ever changing taste), they happen in mysteries. David Handler's newest mystery, The Girl With the Kaleidoscope Eyes is one such book. After a twenty year hiatus from his Stewart Hoag series, Handler is back with another adventure for Hoagy and his basset hound sidekick Lulu.

Hoagy was once the darling of the literary world, publishing a novel that promised an amazing career. He married a famous actress but when he was unable to write a second novel, he crashed and burned spectacularly. Now Hoagy's divorced, although still close with his ex-wife, and his career as a ghost writer is pretty successful. But he's still not writing his own novel. His agent offers him a big, developing story as his next ghost project and although there are signs that Hoagy should turn it down, he agrees to it.

Richard Aintree was a famous author who disappeared after his wife committed suicide. He left behind his two daughters, one of whom, Monette, has turned herself into a wildly successful lifestyle brand, married a popular actor from whom she is now separated, and has two teenage children. The other, Reggie, was once a poet of some re-known herself as well as being an ex of Hoagy's, the one to whom he dedicated his novel, his first love. The sisters have been estranged for two decades, ever since their father disappeared. It appears though, that Richard is preparing to surface from his long-time self-imposed anonymity, writing first to Monette and then to Reggie. The literary establishment wants Hoagy to document this reappearance in a book. Or the whole thing could be a hoax for a host of reasons, perpetrated by a host of different people. Either way, Hoagy and his four legged sidekick Lulu fly out to Monette's house in LA and get completely embroiled in the sensational tabloid mess going on in Hollywood. Monette's husband has apparently gotten his nineteen year old co-star pregnant and it's caused a major media feeding frenzy. In the midst of this, Hoagy's trying to figure out the legitimacy of the letters to the Aintree daughters but his assignment gets completely overshadowed when there's a murder and then even more bodies start to pile up. People are clearly lying about what truly happened and Hoagy, assisted by Lulu, just wants to uncover the truth.

Although this is the ninth in the series, it stands on its own with no trouble. Hoagy and Lulu are fantastic characters and all of the secondary characters are fully realized and totally human as well, flaws and all. The 1992 setting is delightful, as it allows the reader to remember back to the beginnings of personal computers, cell phones the size of bricks, and other nascent technology and Handler does a good job integrating their use into the story, grounding the novel in a definite time period, without being too serious or didactic about the technological advances we've now gone so far past. His portrayal of the chaos and unreality of Hollywood and celebrity is marvelous as well. There is a wonderful sense of humor here and it pops up in unexpected places such as when Hoagy dons a light green shirt to match his skin after he'd been drinking the night before or when the literary agent and the producer both retreat to opposite sides of the pool to get better signals and talk/shout on their cell phones. It's not often that I've read a mystery that made me smile like this one did, twining levity and noir together so well. And the ending had several neat twists to it that were entirely believable in the context of what went before. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and might just have to catch myself up on the back list of Hoagy and Lulu's adventures and I certainly hope they will add more in the future as well because this was indeed a cracking good read. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Ghostwriter to the stars extraordinaire Stewart “Hoagy” Hoag takes on a wunderkind director as his client — equal parts Steven Spielberg, Frank Capra, and Bill Gates — in The Boy Who Never Grew Up, the fifth novel in the fabulous series. Matthew Wax, Hollywood’s hottest direct at just 38, simultaneously churns out blockbuster hit after blockbuster hit at his studio, Bedford Falls, but he doesn’t have the social skills or confidence of your average high-schooler. He prefers show more immersing himself in TV Land reruns or speeding around at a go-cart track to a night on the town in Hollywood. Even so, Wax had managed to marry the prettiest ingénue in Hollywood, petite, blonde, blue-eyed Pennyroyal Brim, a USC cheerleader Wax turned into a superstar. Wax thought his life was golden until 25-year-old Penny sues Wax for divorce, custody of their 6-month-old son, and half of Bedford Falls (her share coming to $150 million). Unlike in It’s a Wonderful Life, there doesn’t seem to be a way for a happy ending. Or is there?

Enter Stewart Hoag — dapper, erudite, debonair, and a first-class smart-aleck — who has taken on the assignment of helping Wax write his autobiography — one to compete with the tell-all that pretty Penny is writing. The battle of biographies is just one piece of a brutally messy divorce; scandalous tabloid headlines, a stormy affair between Penny and her erstwhile castmate, and Penny’s unscrupulous attorney, Abel Zorch, ups the ante in the divorce wars. When Zorch and his boy toy turn up dead, Hoagy takes on the additional task of unraveling who amongst the many people who had reason to hate Zorch actually pulled the trigger — all the while wise-cracking with the best of ’em in this intelligent and humorous cozy.

Readers will adore Hoagy’s sophisticate humor and sardonic wit. In addition, author David Handler delivers an incredible denouement that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I never guessed the villain — nor did I see the startling end coming. Highly, highly recommended.

Merged review:

Ghostwriter to the stars extraordinaire Stewart “Hoagy” Hoag takes on a wunderkind director as his client — equal parts Steven Spielberg, Frank Capra, and Bill Gates — in The Boy Who Never Grew Up, the fifth novel in the fabulous series. Matthew Wax, Hollywood’s hottest direct at just 38, simultaneously churns out blockbuster hit after blockbuster hit at his studio, Bedford Falls, but he doesn’t have the social skills or confidence of your average high-schooler. He prefers immersing himself in TV Land reruns or speeding around at a go-cart track to a night on the town in Hollywood. Even so, Wax had managed to marry the prettiest ingénue in Hollywood, petite, blonde, blue-eyed Pennyroyal Brim, a USC cheerleader Wax turned into a superstar. Wax thought his life was golden until 25-year-old Penny sues Wax for divorce, custody of their 6-month-old son, and half of Bedford Falls (her share coming to $150 million). Unlike in It’s a Wonderful Life, there doesn’t seem to be a way for a happy ending. Or is there?

Enter Stewart Hoag — dapper, erudite, debonair, and a first-class smart-aleck — who has taken on the assignment of helping Wax write his autobiography — one to compete with the tell-all that pretty Penny is writing. The battle of biographies is just one piece of a brutally messy divorce; scandalous tabloid headlines, a stormy affair between Penny and her erstwhile castmate, and Penny’s unscrupulous attorney, Abel Zorch, ups the ante in the divorce wars. When Zorch and his boy toy turn up dead, Hoagy takes on the additional task of unraveling who amongst the many people who had reason to hate Zorch actually pulled the trigger — all the while wise-cracking with the best of ’em in this intelligent and humorous cozy.

Readers will adore Hoagy’s sophisticate humor and sardonic wit. In addition, author David Handler delivers an incredible denouement that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I never guessed the villain — nor did I see the startling end coming. Highly, highly recommended. show less

#3 in the Berger and Mitry mystery series featuring pudgy Jewish movie reviewer Mitch Berger and his girlfriend, black and bodacious cop and artist Desiree Mitry. Des and Mitch have settled into their relationship and Des is getting used to being a small-town resident trooper rather than a homicide detective. But murder visits Dorset again when Tito, the famous movie star son-in-law of one of the town’s founding fathers, is found dead at the base of a waterfall in a nearby state park. At show more first thought to be a suicide, it’s obvious from the crime scene that things just don’t add up. Tito had plenty of enemies, including many jealous husbands and boyfriends, and even Mitch makes a passing visit to the suspect list because Tito publicly attacked him after Mitch panned his latest film. So who dunnit? I actually didn’t guess til the end—there were plenty of plausible red herrings, but it wasn’t until a second killing that I began to lean towards one particular character and was right. I have enjoyed each entry in the series more than the last one. I get a kick out of this quirky couple and like both of them, and secondary characters also seem to be well-fleshed. show less