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 LATEST BOOK: The Blood Red Indian Summer
 ThrillersHoagy & Lulu mysteriesMitch & Desiree mysteriesNon mysteries
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CLICK TO PLAY Severn House Publishers; December 2009 (hardcover) Now available in paperback! 
A dying child star from television's golden age reaches out to a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist with an explosive revelation: The real truth behind the most famous murder spree in Hollywood history. A secret so shocking that it will absolutely destroy the beloved U.S. Senator who is poised to become America's next president. For young Hunt Liebling, a fallen star reporter turned insurgent Internet blogger, it's a chance to get his career back on the fast track. And to get even with the ruthless media baron who has crafted the ascent of that very same U.S. Senator. But when Hunt walks in on an all-new Hollywood massacre he discovers he's no longer just reporting the news. He is the news -- the prime suspect in the slayings. On the run from both the law and the real killers. Overnight, Hunt Liebling becomes the most wanted rampage murderer in America: The Unablogger. As he makes a desperate race across the country toward a tiny town called Balltown, Iowa, Hunt's only hope is that he can expose a terrible half-century-old secret before it destroys him - along with everyone who he loves. He can't afford to fail. If he does then the next occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will give a whole new meaning to the word monster. . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (paperback) Amazon (hardcover) Barnes & Noble (hardcover) Amazon (paperback) Barnes & Noble (paperback) . . . . . . . . . . "Fast paced, frantic, and head spinning, Handler's latest is no ordinary thriller: it's distinctly odd and wildly over the top, but it's also tautly constructed and thoroughly involving, boasting equal doses of Hollywood glamour and show-biz craziness." —Booklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HOAGY & LULU MYSTERIES
THE MAN WHO DIED LAUGHING / THE MAN WHO LIVED BY NIGHT 
Available from Busted Flush Press! New introduction by the author Price $26, hardback ISBN: 0-9767157-8-3 Price $18, trade paperback ISBN: 0-9767157-9-1 The first two mysteries starring celebrity ghostwriter Stewart Hoag & his neurotic basset hound, Lulu—in one volume! The hardback is the first hardcover appearance of these books! Featuring original cover art by award-winning crime novelist Colin Cotterill (The Coroner's Lunch) The Man Who Died Laughing With his cat food-eating dog, Lulu, and haunted by his ex-movie star wife, ghostwriter Hoagy finds himself ghosting the memoirs of the rich, the famous and the not-so-nice. Sometimes, the project dies on the vines. Sometimes, the client does. The Man Who Lived by Night Hoagy, a ghostwriter/reluctant amateur detective, and his catfood-eating hound, Lulu, return as Hoagy pens the memoirs of an infamous rock and roll star. He expected the assignment to be hot—but not quite as dangerous or deadly as it actually was. . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Busted Flush Press Indiebound (paperback) Amazon (hardcover) Barnes & Noble (hardcover) Amazon (paperback) Barnes & Noble (paperback) . . . . . . . . . . "One of my all-time favorite series!" —Harlan Coben "A wonderful series—fresh and fun and as good as mystery writing gets. Hoagy and Lulu are the best comic pairing since Fred and Ethel (and a darn sight better looking). If you're a fan of the genre, and even if you aren't, these are 'must reads' for any lazy afternoon." —Mark Schweizer, author of The Alto Wore Tweed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE MAN WHO WOULD BE F. SCOTT FITZGERALD / THE WOMAN WHO FELL FROM GRACE 
Available from Busted Flush Press! New introduction by award-winning mystery writer Dean James Price $26, hardback ISBN: 978-0-9792709-2-5 Price $18, trade paperback ISBN: 978-0-9792709-1-8 The Man Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald 1991 Edgar Award winner for Best Paperback Original! Wildly bestselling first-time novelist Cam Noyes writes with a lyrical voice like F. Scott Fitzgerald and looks like he leapt right out of a Ralph Lauren ad. The media's latest darling, he's having a ball running with the brat pack, posing for magazines, rolling in and out of beds, brawling in bars, swigging tequila, and snorting cocaine. But with such a busy schedule, Cam simply can't find the time to write his long-overdue second book. Enter Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag—ghostwriter of celebrity memoirs and reluctant amateur detective—to tackle Cam's tell-all expose of the dirty business behind megabuck book deals. But "cutthroat" takes on a whole new meaning as the bodies start piling up faster than the pages of the manuscript. If Hoagy doesn't act fast, there'll be no one left in publishing to tell the tale. The Woman Who Fell from Grace Ghostwriter Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag has been chosen to write the sequel to the Southern epic Oh, Shenandoah. And as much as Hoagy wants the book to succeed, someone else is willing to kill to keep it from being published. . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Busted Flush Press Indiebound (paperback) Amazon (hardcover) Barnes & Noble (hardcover) Amazon (paperback) Barnes & Noble (paperback) . . . . . . . . . . "Some books deserve to go quietly into that good night, but the works of David Handler are not among them. Busted Flush Press has brought back to print a master of the mystery genre. Stewart Hoagy, amateur private eye, has smarts and intelligence. Handler brings his characters to life instantly—the voices are original and real. Best of all, though, Handler treats his audience with respect. He doesn't write down. And Lulu will steal your heart." —Carolyn Haines, author of Ham Bones and Revenant "Hoagy and Lulu tickle your funnybone and touch your heart. Hooray for the return of this appealing and clever series." —Carolyn Hart, New York Times best-selling author of the "Death on Demand" mysteries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The final four in the series are listed below; unfortunately, they are out of print. The Boy Who Never Grew Up The Man Who Cancelled Himself The Girl Who Ran Off with Daddy The Man Who Loved Women to Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MITCH & DESIREE MYSTERIES
THE COLD BLUE BLOOD St. Martin's Minotaur; $6.50 
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. 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. . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (paperback) Amazon Barnes & Noble . . . . . . . . . . "The beginning of what looks to be a swell series." —Susan Isaacs "A true delight. Chock-full of wry observations and propelled by a compelling plot." —Jeffery Deaver "Handler has created an engaging odd couple, whose further adventures promise to win the same strong following as his Stewart Hoag series." —Publishers Weekly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE HOT PINK FARMHOUSE St. Martin's Minotaur; $6.99 
So much for the peace and quiet New York film critic Mitch Berger expected to find in his antique carriage house overlooking Long Island Sound. Nothing can shelter him from the goings-on in nearby Dorset. A violent death in a speeding Porsche...an attempted suicide by the school superintendent...and dirty politics are about to propel Mitch out of the shadows into a starring role. And then there's his new love, resident state trooper Desiree Mitry... 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. But as she soon learns, Dorset's bucolic exterior hides some ugly secrets. The femme fatale daughter of a famous local sculptor is killed in a car explosion that makes tabloid headlines. Now Des is on the case, saddled with a pushy former colleague, and reaching out to Mitch for an extra pair of eyes—and arms—in a case that threatens to tear the town apart... . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (paperback) Amazon Barnes & Noble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE BRIGHT SILVER STAR St. Martin's Minotaur; $6.99 
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. 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... . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (paperback) Amazon Barnes & Noble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE BURNT ORANGE SUNRISE St. Martin's Minotaur; $6.99 
Everyone from Hollywood heavy hitters and supermodels to rap music stars and high-profile athletes are invited to a party to honor legendary film director Ada Geiger at the faux Castle her husband built for her in Dorset, Connecticut. This is just the kind of event Mitch Berger hates even though he idolizes Ada and credits her for inspiring him to become a film critic. It's too late for him to cancel. But Mitch gets a lucky break when a snowstorm hits. One by one, the regrets come flowing in. The gathering is pared down to just a few people: Ada's son and his wife up from New York, the Castle's caretaker and her brother Les, Mitch and his beautiful police officer lover, Des Mitry, and a few others. It's the snowiest winter anyone under the age of ninety can remember in Dorset with six more inches falling every three days, stranding the guests at the Castle. But any romantic notions that may have crossed Mitch's mind are dashed when one by one the people at The Castle are killed off. Delving into the investigation, Des and Mitch are faced with their toughest case yet—one that might leave both of them dead... . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (paperback) Amazon Barnes & Noble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE SWEET GOLDEN PARACHUTE St. Martin's Minotaur; $23.95 
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. 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. . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (hardcover) Amazon Barnes & Noble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE SOUR CHERRY SURPRISE St. Martin's Minotaur; $23.95 
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. 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. Said goodbye 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. And even more furious when she finds out that the task force has been working closely with none other than her very own Brandon Stokes, who hasn't told her one word about it. When Des confronts Brandon she is told—ordered—to keep clear of the entire operation. Not surprisingly, Resident Trooper Des Mitry will not be told what to do in her own town. Not by an ex-husband who is starting to show his true colors again. Especially when one of those troubled Sour Cherry Lane residents turns up dead. Des will pursue this case her way. The only 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. Of course he will, whitened smile and all. The question is whether the two of them will live to tell about it. . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (hardcover) Amazon Barnes & Noble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE SHIMMERING BLOND SISTER St. Martin's Minotaur; $23.95 
Police officer Desiree Mitry is under a huge amount of pressure to catch the Dorset Flasher, who has been terrorizing the wealthy dowagers of the Dorset Historic District every weekend. She becomes convinced that her man is Augie Donatelli. After the two have engaged in heated public quarrels, Augie turns up dead. Now Des will need Mitch Berger's help proving she wasn't the killer. . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (hardcover) Amazon Barnes & Noble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE BLOOD RED INDIAN SUMMER St. Martin's Minotaur Now Available! 
This newest adventure featuring the mismatched crime-fighting duo of New York City film critic Mitch Berger and Connecticut State Resident Trooper Desiree Mitry presents Des with her first genuine racially charged case in the historic New England village of Dorset, the gem of Connecticut's Gold Coast. Mitch, meanwhile, is about to experience his own close encounter of the first kind. His retired parents are on their way up from Vero Beach to meet the new woman of color in their nice Jewish boy's life. Not to mention her steely father. Otherwise, life is pretty normal in Yankee Eden. It's that rarest of seasons in Dorset—Indian Summer. After a cold, stormy September the month of October has turned so freakishly warm that it's hard to believe it's football season. And what a strange football season this is for Tyrone "Da Beast" Grantham, the famously volatile superstar linebacker who has been wreaking havoc on the gridiron every October since he was a 15-year-old kid back in the mean streets of Compton, California. A six-feet-four, 240-pound hit-seeking missile, Da Beast is the most dominant, fearsome middle linebacker in the NFL. He is also one of the league's worst citizens. The NFL commissioner has had to ban him from league play this season due to "conduct detrimental to the integrity of and public confidence in the league." Da Beast has been ordered to go somewhere peaceful and get it together. Trouble is he and his entourage have chosen to get it together in an $8 million waterfront estate in Dorset, where life is about to become anything but peaceful . . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (hardcover) Amazon Barnes & Noble . . . . . . . . . . "Handler's blend of suspenseful plot, skillful telling, and occasional splashes of comic relief add up to a heady cocktail of prime crime." —Publishers Weekly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NON MYSTERIES
KIDDO Out-of-print (1987) The adventures of Danny Levine, Mousey Stern and Newt Biddle growing up together in Southern California back in 1962. A novel of the California '60s that you will want to read aloud to your friends, give to people who lived through it, and cherish as a memory of a better—and worse—times. . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (paperback) . . . . . . . . . . "Makes an old whine seem like new." —The Sunday New York Times Book Review "A witty and compassionate coming-of-age tale...A noble lesson in growing up." —The Hartford Courant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 
BOSSBallantine; $15 (1988; sequel to KIDDO) Kiddo is back in town and a decade older. At 23, he's not much wiser or thinner, but the family business needs him, and so does the woman of his dreams. It's time for Danny Levine to grow up—whatever that means. . . . . . . . . . . BUY THE BOOK Indiebound (paperback) Amazon Barnes & Noble  |
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