David Handler Books In Order

Publication Order of Danny Levine Books

Publication Order of Stewart Hoag & Lulu Books

Publication Order of Berger and Mitry Books

Publication Order of Justin Westwood Books

Publication Order of Benji Golden Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Anthologies

David Handler is the author of the Hoagy and Lulu mysteries and the Mitch and Desiree mysteries. He was born and raised in Los Angeles and started his career in New York as a journalist, and published two highly acclaimed novels about growing up there, before resorting to writing crime friction. Handler has also written short stories, which were nominated for various awards and he was part of the writing team that created ‘Kate and Allie’ an Emmy Award winning sitcom that aired on the CBS network. He has continued writing for TV and film and has also co-authored ‘Gideon’, which proved to be an international bestseller.

David was born in 1952 in the United States where he got educated at the University High School, West Los Angeles, University of California, Santa Barbra, and the Columbia School of Journalism. He was nominated for the Dilys Award and also the Derringer Award and he managed to win the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original. He lives in the village of Old Lyme, Connecticut with his girlfriend Diana and Freddie their beloved cat. His hobbies include yoga and he also writes a blog. He has written more than twenty books and his latest novel is titled ‘The Lavender Lane Lothario and it will be released in February 2016. But he is most famous for writing the Hoagy and Lulu mysteries and the Mitch and Desiree mysteries.

The Berger and Mitry series features Mitch Berger, a top film critic with a major New York newspaper at a surprisingly young age. After the death of his wife a year ago, Mitch has almost become a recluse and he spends most of his time in his house or in the screening room. But that didn’t slow him down because he still continues dazzling film producers and movie goers with his stinging criticisms. However, his editor is worried about him and so she gives him an assignment that isn’t related with film, all in an effort to pull him up from the doldrums.

The assignment involves doing a story covering the wealthy homeowners on the Gold Coast in Connecticut. It takes a lot to convince Mitch to cover this story but eventually he agrees. He’s fortunate enough to find an exclusive cottage being rented on a private island. His landlady is called Dolly, and she’s a friendly and pleasant person. But the other inhabitants of the small island aren’t so welcoming, and they seem to have a problem with his Eastern European heritage and the fact that he was born and raised in the city. But since Dolly needs the rent money after her husband left her, she is more than happy to rent her cottage to this out-of-towner.

Things take a nasty turn when Dolly discovers a dead body while gardening in her backyard. Enter Desiree Mitry, an African American female lieutenant tasked with investigating major crimes. She’s a dedicated officer who has a hidden talent as an artist. She also rescues stray cats and aggressively finds homes for them. Mitch is intrigued by Desiree and this leads to an interracial romance since. This adds intrigue to the story because it’s not every day that you find authors dealing with interracial dating.

David Handler does a good job of creating unique characters in this series. The characters seem very real, and as a reader, you find yourself rooting for Mitch, egging him on as he tries to overcome his depression. Desiree’s character is likeable, and she will leave you in stitches with her quirky humor. She also has an obsession with cats, which also adds humor to the story while showing her compassionate side and making her look good.

David Handler has also written the Hoagy and Lulu mysteries, which tell the story of Stewart Hoag, a suave, debonair and witty ghostwriter for celebrities and Lulu, his basset hound who loves nothing more than eating cat food. The first installment of this series is titled ‘The Man Who Died Laughing’, and in this story, Hoagy and Lulu find themselves in Hollywood, where he will be ghosting the memoirs of has-been funnyman Sonny Day. Now Sonny made history on the silver screen when he starred in ‘Knight and Day’, a comedy team that kept people laughing in the 1950s but his fortunes had now dwindled and he was looking for a comeback.

When the comedy duo split up, Sonny is intent on returning to the limelight, and he hopes that his explosive, tell-all biography will help him achieve that goal. Stewart Hoag is hired due to his precise prose but there’s someone out there who wants to ensure that Sonny’s bio doesn’t make it to the bookshelves and is also planning to kill the comic. When the killer finally strikes, Hoagy suddenly finds himself in the killer’s crosshairs and ghostwriting is no longer a living because it could lead to his demise.

Stewart Hoag’s first novel made him the toast of New York, and everyone in Manhattan tried to befriend him. The cocktail circuit was not complete without Hoag, his wife and trusty hound by his side. But when his second novel flopped after being hit by a bad case of writer’s block, his wife, money and friends all disappeared. But Lulu stuck with him, and now the only opportunity available for him is ghostwriting, an undignified career that only beats dental school. When he begins his ghostwriting career, he meets his first client, Sonny Day, a washed up comedian who used to be very popular thirty years ago.

Sonny had grown disillusioned when he split with his partner, and his fortunes continued to dwindle. He started having problems with alcohol and things became so bad that he could no longer rise to the occasion when in the bedroom. The only thing that was left to do was to write a memoir. So Hoagy and Lulu arrive in Hollywood expecting to find easy living and plenty of sunshine. Instead, they discover Day’s corpse and Hoagy finds himself battling to prove his innocence. The Hoagy and Lulu mysteries is fresh and funny and the 1980s setting has contributed to making it a classic series.

One Response to “David Handler”

1. Susan C Schmittinger: 1 year ago

   I just read your new book and I just loved your writing style. Best regards (Lady in a silver cloud)

   Reply