From Publishers Weekly
A severe winter storm and a house full of trapped guests, a murderer among them, test odd couple Mitch Berger and Des Mitry in their fourth agreeable outing (after 2003's
The Bright Silver Star). Berger, a white middle-aged syndicated movie critic, and Mitry, a homicide-toughened black cop now providing police service for the village of Dorset, Conn., attend a dinner party at Astrid's Castle, an inn run by Les Josephson and his wife, Norma, for Norma's 94-year-old mother, Ada Geiger. A reclusive pioneer film director, Ada is enjoying a revival of interest in her noir films. Berger's caustic views on modern movie-makers, celebrities and hangers-on add spice to the proceedings. A handful of other guests, including Ada's vitriolic grandson and his wife, complete the group that soon finds itself effectively cut off from the outside world by a fierce storm, which provides an awesome backdrop. The first death appears natural and unsurprising, but the second is obviously murder. Although Mitry takes charge, more deaths follow. Handler makes the most of his small cast of suspects as revelations suggest unsuspected connections, motives and opportunities. This is a cozy series with some meat on the bone.
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From Booklist
Among the unique features of Handler's Berger and Mitry series is the setting: a tiny village on the gold coast of Connecticut filled with the requisite cast of quirky small-town characters. Another is the relationship of the protagonists: film critic Mitch Berger and state trooper Desiree Mitry. The fact that Mitch is white and Des is black is not as startling a contrast as their respective physiques: he is short and dumpy, while she is tall and glamorous. This adventure finds them trapped at a local bed-and-breakfast fashioned to resemble a castle. An ice storm has rendered the roads closed, and Des must solve a series of murders that must have been committed by one of the guests or staff. Des has her hands full keeping the guests separated while keeping her eye on all of them--and her anxiety only rises when Mitch is walloped on the back of the head and knocked unconscious. An entertaining and warmhearted series that pairs nicely with Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr adventure
The Burglar in the Library (1997).
Jenny McLarinCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
