The way Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag tells a story, it's not like reading a book. It's like watching a movie.

The opening shot shows 75-year-old Muriel Cantrell settling into the back seat of her classic Rolls Royce, which gives the book its title, "The Lady in the Silver Cloud."

Bullets Durmond, her chauffeur, follows a weekly schedule, taking Muriel to her hairdresser, her bank, a matinee, a bridge club and shopping for Chanel suits.

How can she afford all that? No one knows, but they figure money has something to do with it when she dies in the stairwell following a Halloween party and her purse is missing.

After a decade of writer's block, Hoagy is hard at work on a second novel. However, he takes a break to solve the murder of Muriel, who lives next door to his ex-wife and lover, Merilee Nash. Hoagy and Lulu, his basset hound, team up with a hunky police detective to track the killer.

This is David Handler's thirteenth in the Hoagy series. It's his most colorful so far.

Muriel and Bullets what a fun descriptive of people. This is a fun novel to read hearing a few common slang words made me laugh out loud.
After Muriel is murdered Bullet takes this to heart she was a pillar of the community. Very has a very interesting investigation finding out some home turth that shock her along the way. I hope there is more.

Multiple characters, murder mystery and keeps you guessing and wondering until the last chapter. Makes you wonder about your neighbors’ past and what you don’t know .

Great read with an author’s voice that brings every character, every moment alive. Unbelievably original concept with a surprising ending. No character is who they seem and even the dog had its own personality
Compelling from the start
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc

Ghostwriting sleuth Stewart Hoag investigates the murder of his wealthy neighbor—and discovers her dark, mobbed-up past. I have been reading this series since the first one in 1988 and it has remained consistently delightful that entire time. The past has come back to haunt his elderly neighbor and in the process we learn a lot about old NY and the mafia and murder. This was such a fun read and I hope there are many more Stewart Hoag books in the future. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review/

Secrets Will Out…
Stewart Hoag, ghostwriter and sometime amateur sleuth, investigates the murder of his elderly neighbour. A neighbour with a very murky past indeed and who just happened to own a 1955 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud. What was the source of this neighbour’s inexplicable wealth. Secrets will out. A joyously entertaining read with a very likeable, dryly amusing protagonist and Bassett Hound Lulu, and a colourful cast of supporting characters. Wonderful.

I like this book…it is different…it is not the same humdrum mystery that we get so often…it is unique…the characters come alive on the pages…the setting is fantastic and almost a character in the book…quirky writers, movie stars, Rich elderly ladies…door men…even a dog that is almost human…the mystery to be solved…yes even that is another element that requires much thought…this author has woven a tale of yesteryear combined with modern…I like this book…I repeat myself because I do…I am eagerly awaiting more stories from this writer…don’t miss this experience…a quick read…the book was sent to me by Netgalley electronically for review, and I hope to buy a print copy when it is released…I like this book…enough said…

Thank you to David Handler, Mysterious Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity of reading an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All reviews are my own, unbiased opinions.

This was just not the book for me. I was very bored throughout it, and couldn’t really keep track of what was happening. I was unaware that this was a series, so I may have enjoyed it more had I read some other books first.

This book had me stumped. Sitting smug and thinking I had it all thought out, the author put me in my place. Finally we have a thriller that will keep you your toes. As with a number of authors I have been reading recently I cannot believe that this is the authors debut novel! I truly enjoyed myself and will be recommending it to anyone I see for the next few months.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am so happy the author is continuing this series again. Hoagy and Lulu have a new case to work on with Very. A rich neighbor is murdered in Merilee’s apartment building after a Halloween party. As we find out the victims history, the list of suspects grows. Was it someone in her past or someone currently who wanted her dead?
Goodreads

314 Pages

4 stars

Today a 1955 Silver Cloud could run you as much as $300,000.00. (Yes, for giggles, I googled it.)

All is going very well for Stewart “Hoagy” Hoag. He is now in the process of writing his new book and his editor loves it. Also, after a ten-year break, he is back together with his actress wife Merilee. She invited him to move back into her high-class apartment.

One of their neighbors is Muriel Cantrell, who is a seventy-five year old sprightly woman. She never talks about her past and owns a 1955 Silver Cloud Rolls Royce in pristine condition. Her driver is a tough - looking guy named “Bullets.”

Following a Halloween party during which there was an altercation between two of the men attending, Muriel is found dead at the bottom of the stairs. Her neck is broken. Was she pushed, or did she fall?

Also at the party, in addition to Hoagy and Merilee, are Lieutenant Romain Very and his girlfriend Norma, who is Hoagy’s editor. When Hoagy and Very examine the body, they are convinced she was pushed.

Very asks Hoagy and Lulu, of course, for their help. When they dig into Muriel’s past, they find out some startling information. Between the doormen and the various neighbors, some of whom are abhorrent persons, they have a plethora of suspects. Too many suspects.

This is a very well written and plotted novel, as are all of David Handler’s stories. I really like the cozy relationship between Lulu, Hoagy and Merilee. Lulu is a great character. I like that she goes everywhere with Hoagy. This book has some very nice people, but they are offset by some real losers. Great job, Mr. Handler! Waiting for the next one.

I want to thank NetGalley and Mysterious Press for forwarding to me a copy of this delightful book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I have long been a fan of David Handler's Stewart Hoag mystery series, which returned after a 20-year absence a few years back. Hoagy narrates the series with dry wit and a foppish persona, always accompanied by his trusty basset hound, Lulu. A writer, he has recently ghost-written some celebrity memoirs but hopes to return to his once-successful novelist career. He is also making progress in reuniting with his ex-wife, a gorgeous movie star.

But Hoagy always seems to find himself involved in a murder investigation, now in collaboration with NYPD lieutenant Romaine Very. This time the victim is an older woman, a longtime resident of a high-rise apartment building who appears to have been shoved down a flight of steps. Suspects abound, so Hoagy and Very have their work cut out for them.

I enjoy Hoagy's voice and the other carefully drawn characters in these typically light-hearted romps. However, the mystery here fell flat for me--too easily solved without any interesting twists. And at one point, Lulu does something so outrageous that it took me right out of the story, "jumping the shark" so to speak. But I'll give Handler and Hoagy another chance if there is another in the series.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you so much publisher for providing an arc! I just devoured this book. It was so nerve-wrecking so I can not express enough about the plot. The plot is so interesting that you will find yourself gasping everytime you find something new.
I really like the worldbuilding, and how the author can create a world that has the capability of making us vicariously live through it. I feel like the introduction was a bit too slow-paced for me. The characters are fairly interesting.
Henceforth, it was quite a good read.