About this item
The next clever, witty, and touching installment in the Edgar award-winning Stewart Hoag mystery series finds the beloved ghostwriter-sleuth and his faithful neurotic basset hound, Lulu, back in 1990's New York City, investigating a bestselling author's stolen manuscript and three murders linked to the crime.Washed-up celebrity ghostwriter Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag has finally rediscovered his voice and is making progress on what he hopes will be his long-awaited second novel. Burrowed up in his less-than-luxurious, sweltering fifth floor walk-up, he tries not to think of the disparities between himself and his ex-wife, celebrity actress Merilee Nash, who is sifting through film offers - and also her fickle feelings for Hoagy - from her elegant eight-room apartment looking over Central Park.
About the Author
I was born and raised in Los Angeles and wrote two critically acclaimed novels about growing up there, "Kiddo" and "Boss," before I resorted to a life of crime fiction.My first foray, which you may remember, featured the dapper celebrity ghostwriter Stewart 'Hoagy' Hoag and his faithful, neurotic basset hound Lulu. I wrote eight novels between the years 1988 and 1997 about Hoagy, a fallen literary wunderkind turned pen for hire who travels the underbelly of show business helping famous stars tell their life stories, secrets and all. Generally, there are plenty of people who wanted those secrets to stay safely buried. Generally, our jaded hero knows how to dig them out. My first Hoagy, "The Man Who Died Laughing," was nominated for an Anthony Award. My best known in the series, "The Man Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald," won an Edgar and an American Mystery Award. I'm thrilled to report that I've revived the series. "The Girl With Kaleidoscope Eyes," was published in August of 2017 by William Morrow. I love this book, which sends Hoagy and Lulu out to Hollywood in search of Richard Aintree, the legendary American novelist who disappeared more than 20 years ago. It also brings Hoagy in contact with Aintree's daughter, Reggie, who just happens to be the first great love of his life. I had so much fun writing Hoagy and Lulu again that I kept right on going. Their next adventure, "The Man Who Couldn't Miss," which takes them backstage at a fabled historic Connecticut summer playhouse, was published by Morrow in August of 2018. My latest Hoagy and Lulu novel, "The Man In The White Linen Suit," came out in August of 2019. It's set in the high-stakes world of New York publishing and is my idea of deliciously nasty. Hoagy and Lulu's most recent adventure, "The Man Who Wasn't All There," was published in the spring of 2021. A trade paperback edition will be available in October. And I'm very excited about my next Hoagy and Lulu novel, "The Lady in the Silver Cloud," a New York City Halloween tale which will be published in February, 2022 by the legendary Otto Penzler's Mysterious Press. I really enjoyed writing this one. I hope you enjoy reading it! Want to catch up? Thanks to the good folks at Mysteriouspress.com and Open Road Media all eight of my Hoagy novels are now available on Kindle. Check 'em out. You'll never find another wise-cracking hero quite like Hoagy. A lot of my insights into the world of show business came from the 20 years I spent writing for television and films on both coasts. Remember the sitcom "Kate and Allie" with Jane Curtin and Susan St. James? I was a member of the original writing staff that created that show.These days, I live in a 230-year-old carriage house in a quaint, ultra-WASPY little historic New England village. Not surprisingly, I ended up la
