Man Who Wasn't All There, The
-
-
4.7 • 3 Ratings
-
-
- $9.99
-
- $9.99
Publisher Description
The latest installment of David Handler's Edgar Award-winning Stewart Hoag mystery series, set in 1990s' New York, sees the ghostwriter-sleuth and his faithful basset hound Lulu inadvertently make a dangerous enemy.
After six glorious weeks of hard work on his long-overdue second novel, celebrity-ghostwriter Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag has hit a crossroads in his plot. He thinks a change of scenery will do him good - and he knows just the place. His ex-wife, the actress Merilee Nash, has offered him the use of her idyllic Connecticut farmhouse, while she's away shooting a movie in Budapest.
Hoagy and his beloved basset hound Lulu settle in for a few days' rest and relaxation. Hoagy expects fall splendor, long walks and crisp night air. He doesn't expect Merilee's eccentric, unwelcoming neighbor. Austin Talmadge warns Hoagy not to get on his bad side, but what harm can a country oddball like Austin do?
Quite a lot, it turns out. All Hoagy wants to do is relax and clear his head, but soon he's caught up in a strange, complex mystery - and he'll need all his wits about him, and Lulu's unerring nose, if he's to come out of this one alive . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In 1993, things are looking up for Stuart "Hoagy" Hoag in Edgar winner Handler's so-so 12th mystery featuring author Hoagy and his intelligent basset hound, Lulu (after 2019's The Man in the White Linen Suit). A decade earlier, Hoagy achieved commercial and critical success with his debut novel, but writer's block followed, as did the end of his marriage to film star Merilee Nash due to his cocaine addiction. Now, he and Merilee are reconciling, and he's made progress on a new book set in 1970s New York City while working out of Merilee's home in Lyme, Conn., while she's abroad. Then Hoagy gets a visit from Austin Talmadge, an auxiliary state police officer looking for Merilee so that he can share story ideas with her. Talmadge's strange behavior alarms Hoagy, who subsequently learns that his visitor is also the state's second-richest man, who's under specialist psychiatric treatment. Talmadge escapes his minders, and bloodshed ensues, leaving Hoagy and Lulu with another homicide to solve. Hoagy's smart-ass affect won't be to every taste, and the lack of surprises disappoints. Handler has done better.
