In Handler's delightful third outing (after 2002's Hot Pink Farmhouse) starring beautiful black state trooper Desiree "Des" Mitry and transplanted New Yorker and renowned film critic Mitch Berger, the unlikely but dynamic duo get mixed up with movie stars and murder in the picturesque village of Dorset, Conn. The arrival of "breathtakingly gorgeous Academy Award winner" Esme Crockett and her husband, "combustible blue-eyed Latino heartthrob" Tito Molina, promises a far more exciting summer than usual for Dorset residents with hordes of reporters and stargazers. When Tito falls to his death from a cliff, the authorities suspect suicide, but Des, a former homicide detective, thinks otherwise. She joins forces with Mitch in an investigation that in the end shatters forever the squeaky-clean image of Dorset's elite. While Mitch has finally become acclimated to simple village life, he returns in one of the novel's more affecting episodes to New York, where he tries to dispel some of the painful memories of his deceased wife and introduce Des to the energy and pulse of the city. With its vivid setting, quirky and unusual characters, and fast-paced plot skillfully interwoven with movie trivia, this cozy with attitude is sure to satisfy Handler's many committed fans and attract new ones. (Nov. 10)
FYI:Handler is also the author of The Man Who Died Laughing (1988) and seven other titles in his Stewart Hoag series.
