The Hot Pink Farmhouse: A Berger and Mitry Mystery

This is the first David Handler I've read. He's been on my reading list for awhile, although I almost didn't buy it because of the cute "cozy" cover. However, I'm glad I did. I loved the setting for the book and the true to life characters. What I most enjoyed was that the story shifts back and forth between Mitch and Des. I figured it would just be told from Mitch's point of view. Also, there were subplots that Des was dealing with in trying to do her job that were not related to the murder(s) which I found interesting. Another reviewer mentioned that they felt Des' "ghetto speak" was not realistic. I respect the opinion, but found the dialoge throughout to be true to each character. I will definitely be reading more David Handler.

New York film critic, Mitch Berger and aspiring artist, former Homicide Detective, Desiree Mitry live in idyllic Dorset Connecticut. Mitch meets eccentric local artist Wendell "Hangtown" Frye at the local dump. Before you know it they become bosom bodies. Tragedy strikes the Frye family when Hangtown's daughter is killed in a car explosion when driving home from a rendezvous with a lover. Mitch and Des are a rather unique crime-solving partnership. Their new romance is at times rather touching, and frequently cloying and sickly sweet. There are plenty of quirky characters to keep you entertained. A well-paced plot keeps the action moving. I look forward to the next entry in this series.

Fans of Stewart Hoag, as am I, worried when Handler moved on to cases involving new crime-solvers, but Mitch Berger and Des Mitry shine in this second Sister Island mystery. Pink Farmhouse is rich with exotic characters and intriguing plot twists. Plus Handler is creating a very compelling universe in Dorset, CT, a new England village with a Norman Rockwell appearance but Peyton Place kinks. We needn't have worried about being left Hoagless, in fact, I am already eager for the next Berger mystery.

A very satisfying 2nd installment to this series - which I hope will have a long, successful run. The characters are so engaging, and the depiction of them in this small town, with all of the idiosyncrasies of small town people, is wonderful. Mr. Handler's insight into each of them is nothing short of masterful. I absolutely loved visiting this place with these people, and look forward to reading more about them. I enjoyed it so much, in fact, that I couldn't so much as remove 1 star even though I cringed every time Desiree (Des) broke out into `black speak.' It wouldn't have been so disturbing I suppose, if her background hadn't been mainstream/middle class. It just felt inconsistent that she spoke 3rd generation ghetto. When people, even black people, are born and raised in an environment where proper English is spoken, they typically talk like their peers - trust me, I know. Unless they're having an identity crisis and incorrectly assume they must talk like an uneducated thug in order to feel black. However, this character was portrayed as strong and self-assured, sans identity issues. Normally, I steer clear of books where the black characters are portrayed so stereotypically, but Mr. Handler managed to make this one so interestingly multidimensional that I forgive him.I'm also glad I ignored the review that referred to the romance in the story as `gratingly cute.' I thought it was one of the most emotionally honest depictions of two wounded people falling in love that I've read - and I read a lot. It adds an additional endearing element to this mystery that is absorbing and well written.

Dorset, Connecticut is a quaint New England town, which is home to world renown sculptor Hangtown Frye. He has two daughters living with him, Moose the apple of his eye and Takai an evil slut. Moose is coming home after a night of sex with her married lover when someone using a sniper's rifle shoots out the engine causing it to explode.When the police determine somebody murdered Moose, Resident Trooper Desiree Mitry finds herself in the middle of homicide investigation that confuses her because the victim was driving her sister's car and Takai had more enemies than anyone else in town. Before they can flush out the perpetrator they have to find out who was the intended victim. Mitch Berger, Desiree's lover and Frye's movie critic pal finds himself in the unique position of being able to give Des all the answers to her questions if he doesn't get himself killed first.Mitry and Berger are a great team both personally and professionally but the star of the book is the town of Dorset, which looks perfect on the surface but has all the problems and eccentric characters of the inner city. There are a surplus of suspects who could have killed Moose but the actual perpetrator will come as a total shock to readers, who will enjoy this regional mystery.Harriet Klausner