Berger and Mitry Series by David Handler

Mitch Berger, a top film critic with a major New York newspaper at a surprisingly young age, has become almost a recluse since his wife died one year ago. He spends his time secluded in his apartment or in the dark recesses of a screening room. Although he continues to dazzle moviegoers and the film elite with his criticisms, his editor and good friend is alarmed about him... moreMitch Berger, a top film critic with a major New York newspaper at a surprisingly young age, has become almost a recluse since his wife died one year ago. He spends his time secluded in his apartment or in the dark recesses of a screening room. Although he continues to dazzle moviegoers and the film elite with his criticisms, his editor and good friend is alarmed about him. As a scheme to pull him out of the doldrums of his grief, she gives him a non-film assignment - to do a color story on the wealthy and social homeowners on Connecticut's Gold Coast. It takes some doing, but in the end Mitch agrees.He is fortunate to find a cottage to rent on Big Sister, the absolute top-of-the-line private island outside the town of Dorset. His landlady, Dolly, is pleasant and friendly, but some of the other inhabitants of this small piece of land, although too well bred to come right out and say it, are not happy to have Mitch, born of parents only one generation away from Eastern Europe and raised on the city's pavements, arrive in their back yard. But Dolly, whose husband has recently left her, needs the money, and at least she is more than gracious. The discovery of a body during a bout of optimistic gardening in Dolly's back yard brings on the other main player - Lieutenant Desiree Mitry, one of only three women on the Connecticut State Police major crimes squad, the youngest of the three, and the only black. A dedicated officer, she is the terror of everyone who doesn't really want to give a home to one of her stray cats. She is, as well, a closet artist and a complicated and beautiful woman, and she intrigues Mitch from the start. less

Mitch stammered, stunned. It had just hit him. He had not happened upon just any old wino. The man standing down in the bin was Dorset's most famous and reclusive resident, Wendell Frye, the man who had single-handedly redefined modern American sculpture...His towering, breathtaking scrap-metal sculptures graced plazas and parks throughout the world, his name echoing alongside that of Alexander Calder, Isamu Noguchi ad Ellsworth Kelly.. moreMitch stammered, stunned. It had just hit him. He had not happened upon just any old wino. The man standing down in the bin was Dorset's most famous and reclusive resident, Wendell Frye, the man who had single-handedly redefined modern American sculpture...His towering, breathtaking scrap-metal sculptures graced plazas and parks throughout the world, his name echoing alongside that of Alexander Calder, Isamu Noguchi ad Ellsworth Kelly...If the art critic from Mitch's paper somehow got a chance to meet him, she would, well, plotz.. And here Mitch was standing in a dumpster talking to him about Abbott and Costello.Transplanted New York film critic Mitch Berger is discovering a whole new world in the idyllic atmosphere of wealthy Dorset, Connecticut, not the least of which is his new love. That's Resident State Trooper Desiree Mitry, beautiful, bright, and strong-minded. Des has transferred out of her position as the highest-ranking black woman in the State Police Homicide department to give more time to the art for which she has a sure talent. Shortly after Mitch's encounter with "Hangtown" Frye in the town dump, his new friend suffers the worst blow of his life - his beloved daughter "Moose" is killed when her sister's car, which she was driving, explodes. It's very soon clear that the explosion was no accident, and Des, as one more familiar with the community than the state cop in charge, takes an advisory part in the investigation. As one of the very few Dorset citizens with whom Frye will have any truck, Mitch is involved in two directions - as a good friend willing to help as he can around the dilapidated farmhouse that is Frye's ancestral home, and as the devoted, if unlikely, lover of the police officer unofficially but very actively on the case.Meanwhile, the old town is coming to a boil over the question of a new public elementary school, one that will be built with contributions from a developer with nothing but good wishes for the education of the local children, and coincidentally a program of healthful outdoor living for those who can afford the homes he will build on the old school property. Hangtown and Mitch are among the dispute's dubious. In a climax that is a realistic and frightening version of a tour through an amusement park "haunted" house, the film critic and his policewoman love come close to tragedy. Readers met these "wonderfully drawn characters [Susan Isaacs] and "best buddy team to come along in years" [Jeffrey Deaver] in Handler's first book of the series, The Cold Blue Blood. Now, in The Hot Pink Farmhouse, Handler carries on their sharp, inimitable and lively adventures to further delight his readers. less

It's the peak of the tourist season on the beautiful Connecticut gold coast. But this is no ordinary July for the picture-perfect village of Dorset-or for transplanted New York film critic Mitch Berger and his alluring love, Resident State Trooper Desiree Mitry... moreIt's the peak of the tourist season on the beautiful Connecticut gold coast. But this is no ordinary July for the picture-perfect village of Dorset-or for transplanted New York film critic Mitch Berger and his alluring love, Resident State Trooper Desiree Mitry. When famous, and combustible, movie star Tito Molino plunges to his death from a cliff just outside town, Des's investigation-along with a ravenous celebrity press corps and gawkers by the thousands-threatens to reveal secrets too terrible to imagine. But just when things seem to be at their worst, Mitch and Des's close friends are suddenly implicated in the case, and suspicion falls even on Mitch himself... less

A storm is brewing in Dorset. Poochie Vickers, the local aristocrat, is becoming even more eccentric in her old age. She's taken up shoplifting and reckless driving but refuses to see a doctor. Her worrisome daughter, Claudia, is angling to take over the family fortune, which makes some of the would-be beneficiaries uneasy. Two of Dorset's biggest troublemakers are being released from prison... moreA storm is brewing in Dorset. Poochie Vickers, the local aristocrat, is becoming even more eccentric in her old age. She's taken up shoplifting and reckless driving but refuses to see a doctor. Her worrisome daughter, Claudia, is angling to take over the family fortune, which makes some of the would-be beneficiaries uneasy. Two of Dorset's biggest troublemakers are being released from prison. And the bad blood between these two families, rich on the one hand, swamp Yankee on the other, could come to a boiling point: Two young people from the families are dating, to no one's delight but their own.Someone is bound to snap, and someone does, resulting in the brutal murder of a harmless and homeless man who went about town collecting recyclables. While Des is trying to track down the murderer, she's also trying to wrap her head around the idea of marrying Mitch. When so many things are going wrong, loving someone seems like a big risk.Handler's fifth novel in this charming and edgy series displays his deftness in creating memorable, distinctive characters and for crafting uniquely entertaining mysteries. less

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... moreSomething 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 Sour Cherry Surprise, the newest in this solidly entertaining series from David Handler, promises more twists and turns for the likable odd couple, and an astounding, heart-pounding conclusion. less

In this delightful new adventure featuring the mismatched crime-fighting duo of film critic Mitch Berger and Connecticut state trooper Des Mitry, Mitch?s New York City past and his Dorset present collide head on.  Back when Mitch was a chubby thirteen-year-old living in Stuyvesant Town, Beth Breslauer, a lovely blond single mother, lived across the hall with her son, Kenny... moreIn this delightful new adventure featuring the mismatched crime-fighting duo of film critic Mitch Berger and Connecticut state trooper Des Mitry, Mitch?s New York City past and his Dorset present collide head on.  Back when Mitch was a chubby thirteen-year-old living in Stuyvesant Town, Beth Breslauer, a lovely blond single mother, lived across the hall with her son, Kenny. These days, she?s a wealthy widow who owns a condominium in the Captain Chadwick House, the Dorset Historic District?s most exclusive condo complex. Kenny is engaged to marry Mitch?s yoga teacher, Kimberly Farrell. Kimberly?s parents are Beth?s neighbors. They are also social pariahs. Her father was one of the Wall Street power brokers responsible for the sub-prime home loan meltdown and her mother is praying that Kimberly?s elaborate engagement party will endear them to their lost friends. Meanwhile, Augie Donatelli, a retired police detective who manages the Captain Chadwick House, is positive he?s figured out the identity of the infamous Dorset Flasher, an elusive, ski-masked figure who has been terrorizing wealthy widows after dark. He also believes that Beth is the proud descendent of a long line of professional thieves. He demands that Des do something about it, but Des dismisses his charges as the wild rants of a lonely, bitter drunkard, which is rather unfortunate---because when Augie turns up dead, Des is included in the round-up of suspects.  That leaves it up to Mitch to find out what really happened, even though it means he?ll have to find out more about the people in his life than he ever wanted to.  The Shimmering Blond Sister is David Handler?s most emotionally gripping book in the series yet. less