The Sour Cherry Surprise: A Berger and Mitry Mystery (Berger and Mitry Mysteries)
The sixth entry in Handler’s Berger and Mitry Mystery Series adds personal uncertainty to the traditional crime and intrigue we have come to expect. The odd couple have decided to go separate ways. The black, extremely fit Connecticut state trooper Des Mitry has unexpectedly begun living with her ex-husband, Brandon. The “dough-boy,” widowed, Jewish film critic Mitch Berger, has gone back to New York, where his career is really beginning to take off. Their friends know that they’re both miserable. Meanwhile, crime is on the rise in the village of Dorset, Connecticut. A major drug cartel is now doing business in town, and a distinguished professor is found murdered. Are the crimes related? Will Mitch come back from New York to save his former lover? Will our sleuths get back together before it’s too late? Earlier books in the series featured plotlines more taut than this one, but we do really care about these characters. Handler has fun with their relationship, and we happily go along for the ride, though his signature over-the-top finales are wearing thin. --Judy Coon