David Handler
AUTHOR

David Handler

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I was born and raised in Los Angeles and wrote two critically acclaimed novels about growing up there, "Kiddo" and "Boss," before I resorted to a life of crime fiction.

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 between the years 1988 and 1997 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. I'm thrilled to report that I've revived the series. "The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes," was published in August of 2017 by William Morrow. I love this book, which sends Hoagy and Lulu out to Hollywood in search of Richard Aintree, the legendary American novelist who disappeared more than 20 years ago. It also brings Hoagy in contact with Aintree's daughter, Reggie, who just happens to be the first great love of his life. I had so much fun writing Hoagy and Lulu again that I kept right on going. Their next adventure, "The Man Who Couldn't Miss," which takes them backstage at a fabled historic Connecticut summer playhouse, was published by Morrow in August of 2018. My latest Hoagy and Lulu novel, "The Man In The White Linen Suit," came out in August of 2019. It's set in the high-stakes world of New York publishing and is my idea of deliciously nasty. Hoagy and Lulu's most recent adventure, "The Man Who Wasn't All There," was published in the spring of 2021. A trade paperback edition will be available in October. I'm still very excited about my latest Hoagy and Lulu novel, "The Lady in the Silver Cloud," a New York City Halloween tale which was published in February, 2022 by the legendary Otto Penzler's Mysterious Press. I really enjoyed writing this one. And I'm super excited about my next Hoagy and Lulu novel, "The Girl Who Took What She Wanted," which Mysterious Press will be publishing in February, 2023.

Want to catch up? Thanks to the good folks at Mysteriouspress.com and Open Road Media all eight of my Hoagy novels are now available on Kindle. Check 'em out. You'll never find another wise-cracking hero quite like Hoagy.

A lot of my insights into the world of show business came from the 20 years I spent writing for television and films on both coasts. Remember the sitcom "Kate and Allie" with Jane Curtin and Susan St. James? I was a member of the original writing staff that created that show.

These days, I live in a 230-year-old carriage house in a quaint, ultra-WASPY little historic New England village. Not surprisingly, I ended up launching a second mystery series that takes place here. Over the past fifteen years I've written eleven 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 latest, "The Lavender Lane Lothario," was published in February of 2016. 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.

In the summer of 2013 I launched another series featuring the feisty 137-pound New York City private eye Benji Golden. Benji specializes in finding missing teenagers. The first novel in the series is called "Runaway Man." I published a sequel, "Phantom Angel," in 2015. I promise you will love Benji.

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. Three have been included in anthologies -- "Opening Shots Volume Two," edited by Lawrence Block, "A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime," edited by edited by Jeffrey Deaver and "Damn Near Dead 2," edited by Bill Crider.

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