David Handler

The American Civil Liberties Union partners with award-winning authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman in this “forceful, beautifully written” (Associated Press) collection that brings together many of our greatest living writers, each contributing an original piece inspired by a historic ACLU case. On January 19, 1920, a small group of idealists and visionaries, including Helen Keller, Jane Addams, Roger Baldwin, and Crystal Eastman, founded the American Civil Liberties Union. A century after its creation, the ACLU remains the nation’s premier defender of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. In collaboration with the ACLU, authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman have curated an anthology of essays “full of struggle, emotion, fear, resilience, hope, and triumph” (Los Angeles Review of Books) about landmark cases in the organization’s one-hundred-year history. Fight of the Century takes you inside the trials and the stories that have shaped modern life. Some of the most prominent cases that the ACLU has been involved in—Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, Miranda v. Arizona—need little introduction. Others you may never even have heard of, yet their outcomes quietly defined the world we live in now. Familiar or little-known, each case springs to vivid life in the hands of the acclaimed writers who dive into the history, narrate their personal experiences, and debate the questions at the heart of each issue. Hector Tobar introduces us to Ernesto Miranda, the felon whose wrongful conviction inspired the now-iconic Miranda rights—which the police would later read to the man suspected of killing him. Yaa Gyasi confronts the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, in which the ACLU submitted a friend of- the-court brief questioning why a nation that has sent men to the moon still has public schools so unequal that they may as well be on different planets. True to the ACLU’s spirit of principled dissent, Scott Turow offers a blistering critique of the ACLU’s stance on campaign finance. These powerful stories, along with essays from Neil Gaiman, Meg Wolitzer, Salman Rushdie, Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Louise Erdrich, George Saunders, and many more, remind us that the issues the ACLU has engaged over the past one hundred years remain as vital as ever today, and that we can never take our liberties for granted. Chabon and Waldman are donating their advance to the ACLU and the contributors are forgoing payment.

To mark its 100-year anniversary, the American Civil Liberties Union partners with award-winning authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman to bring together many of our greatest living writers, each contributing an original piece inspired by a historic ACLU case. On January 19, 1920, a small group of idealists and visionaries, including Helen Keller, Jane Addams, Roger Baldwin, and Crystal Eastman, founded the American Civil Liberties Union. A century after its creation, the ACLU remains the nation’s premier defender of the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. In collaboration with the ACLU, authors Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman have curated an anthology of essays about landmark cases in the organization’s one-hundred-year history. Fight of the Century takes you inside the trials and the stories that have shaped modern life. Some of the most prominent cases that the ACLU has been involved in—Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, Miranda v. Arizona—need little introduction. Others you may never even have heard of, yet their outcomes quietly defined the world we live in now. Familiar or little-known, each case springs to vivid life in the hands of the acclaimed writers who dive into the history, narrate their personal experiences, and debate the questions at the heart of each issue. Hector Tobar introduces us to Ernesto Miranda, the felon whose wrongful conviction inspired the now-iconic Miranda rights—which the police would later read to the man suspected of killing him. Yaa Gyasi confronts the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education, in which the ACLU submitted a friend of- the-court brief questioning why a nation that has sent men to the moon still has public schools so unequal that they may as well be on different planets. True to the ACLU’s spirit of principled dissent, Scott Turow offers a blistering critique of the ACLU’s stance on campaign finance. These powerful stories, along with essays from Neil Gaiman, Meg Wolitzer, Salman Rushdie, Ann Patchett, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Louise Erdrich, George Saunders, and many more, remind us that the issues the ACLU has engaged over the past one hundred years remain as vital as ever today, and that we can never take our liberties for granted. Chabon and Waldman are donating their advance to the ACLU and the contributors are forgoing payment.

January 1983: Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag is getting married to the love of his life Merilee at New York City Hall. Hoagy's college chum, Ezra Spooner, stands up for him. Merilee's lovely cousin, Phoebe, stands up for her. And their young basset hound Lulu stands up for both of them. After they say "I do" and pop open the Dom Perignon, Phoebe somberly announces that she and her husband, the legendary adventurer and old money multi-millionaire Junior Singleton, are now officially divorced. Junior leads what most men would consider a dream life. He has climbed Mount Everest twice, captained his yacht to an America's Cup victory, raced Formula One Ferraris in Europe, surfed the most dangerous Maui waves, and slept with as many women as he chose to despite being married to sweet and gentle Phoebe, who works as a music teacher and plays violin in a chamber music quartet. The pair could not be more different, and most of their friends predicted the marriage wouldn't last. They were right. Phoebe is done putting up with Junior's constant absence and compulsive philandering. She's not even asking for much of his fortune in the divorce--just $1 million and their gorgeous townhouse in the East Sixties, which she intends to sell. In fact, she'd love to sell it to Hoagy and Merilee. The newlyweds agree to tour the home and find that it's almost exactly what they're looking for: There's a fabulous gourmet kitchen, a paneled office where Hoagy can write, a garden where Lulu can romp, a luxurious master suite with his and hers dressing rooms. The only drawback--and it's a mighty big one--is that they find Junior dead on the floor of his dressing room with a rosewood handled Claude Dozorme steak knife plunged into his left eyeball. Who would want to kill Junior Singleton? Plenty of people, as it turns out. Junior's autopsy reveals that he was HIV-positive, which means any of the women with whom he had unprotected sex have been exposed to the deadly AIDs virus--including the hot-shot realtor Siena Bing who was supposed to be helping them sell the house. And that's just the start of the suspect list. As the NYPD's top Homicide Lieutenant, Meyer Golden, pursues the case he finds it unfolding in several different directions, and Hoagy, who possesses not only amazing insights into the criminal mind but also a gifted short-legged partner, gets drawn deeper and deeper into the fascinating and utterly bizarre world of New York City's elite.

First in the Edgar Awardwinning series from ';a novelist whose champagne-fizzy mysteries tickle the brain, heart, and funny bone in equal measure' (AJ Finn, #1 New York Timesbestselling author). Stewart Hoag's first novel made him the toast of New York. Everyone in Manhattan wanted to be his friend, and he traveled the cocktail circuit supported by Merilee, his wife, and Lulu, his basset hound. But when writer's block sunk his second novel, his friends, money, and wife all disappeared. Only Lulu stuck by him. The only opportunity left is ghostwritingan undignified profession that still beats dental school. Hoagy's first client is Sonny Day, an aging comic who was the king of slapstick three decades ago. Since he and his partner had a falling out in the late 1950s, Day has grown embittered and poor, until the only thing left for him to do is write a memoir. Hoagy and Lulu fly to Hollywood expecting a few months of sunshine and easy living. Instead they find Day's corpse, and a murder rap with Hoagy's name on it. This edition includes AJ Finn's introductory essay, ';It's Time to Discover Your New Sophisticated Sleuth Obsession: Stewart Hoag.'

Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag always swore that he would never return to Oakmont, Connecticut, the small mill town where his family lived for generations. He certainly has no desire to interrupt his high life as the newest great American novelist to revisit the town that hates his family and will only bring back memories of his unhappy childhood. But when his childhood sweetheart phones to say that her mother, Mary McKenna, the librarian who inspired Hoagy's dream to be a writer, has died, Hoagy knows he has to return for her funeral. Especially when Maggie adds that her mother didn't die of natural causes. Who would want to murder a beloved mill town librarian? Determined to pay his respects to one of the few people in his hometown he truly cared for, Hoagy hops in his Jaguar and heads to Oakmont with his new girlfriend Merilee and even newer basset hound puppy Lulu in tow. The town where his family's brass mill once thrived is now a toxic, lead-poisoned ghost town filled with illegal drugs, broken families, violence, bitterness, and resentment. Hoagy is surprised to discover former classmate and bullying target, Pete Schlosski, has become the State Police Resident Trooper. But while Pete seems to have forgiven his past tormentors, he doesn't have any ideas as to which of them might be a killer. Hoagy, on the other hand, has learned plenty about the art of investigation from hours spent in the library, and his four-month-old puppy shows a surprising knack for tracking down clues... Readers will be delighted to return to where it all began and experience Lulu's very first case in this charming installment of the Edgar Award-nominated Stewart Hoag series.

Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag is walking on cloud nine after a meeting with his editor, Norma Fives, where she predicts his new book is sure to establish him as the next great American author. It has been years since he has even dreamed of such success after a crippling case of writer's block limited his literary aspirations to ghostwriting celebrity memoirs. But his happiness is short-lived when at his next meeting with Norma she asks for his help in discovering who is behind a series of increasingly threatening letters sent to her attention. Norma herself is not overly concerned about the letters but her boyfriend, Detective Lieutenant Romaine Very of the NYPD, thinks the threat of violence against Norma should not be so easily dismissed. Very feels the combination of Hoagy's detective skills and knowledge of the underbelly of the publishing world make him the perfect person to investigate the matter. Plus, Hoagy is a friend he can trust to take care of the love of his life. Hoagy agrees if for nothing else than to ease the minds of two people he cares about very much. After all, this is likely to be nothing more than a dramatic gesture from a frustrated writer. But as Hoagy and his trusty basset hound Lulu investigate, the threats move beyond the written word, making it clear that someone out there is determined to write a vicious ending to Norma's life. Could it be the wealthy aging children's author? The unethical snake of a literary agent? Or the handsy historian? This is not the return to the literary world that Hoagy dreamed of, but he is determined to unravel the mystery before the author of these crimes gets the last word.

Having your name in lights can be murder... Stewart 'Hoagy' Hoag hasn't written any fiction since writer's block struck him after his hit debut novel. He's been reduced to ghostwriting celebrity memoirs, but his latest project has him diving back into the literary world in a way he never imagined. Nikki Dymtryk is Hollywood's hottest reality TV star, known for her wild lifestyle and celebrity boyfriends. But when the ratings for her show Being Nikki begin to drop, the Dymtryk family hatch a new plan to keep Nikki in the limelight: reinventing her as a best-selling author. And who better than Hoagy to ghostwrite a steamy Hollywood romance? Reluctantly, Hoagy flies out to L. A., trusty basset hound Lulu in tow. He is surprised to find that Nikki is nothing like her public 'airhead' image. This project may just get Hoagy's creative juices flowing again, and give him a chance at getting back together with his actress ex-wife, Merilee. But Nikki's life isn't all parties and paparazzi. As Hoagy gets closer to the young woman, he begins to uncover the Dymtryk family's dark secrets. Secrets that are worth killing for... Perfect for fans of Only Murders in the Building.'One of my all-time favourite series!' Harlan Coben

Stewart "Hoagy" Hoag is walking on cloud nine after a meeting with his editor, Norma Fives, where she predicts his new book is sure to establish him as the next great American author. It has been years since he has even dreamed of such success after a crippling case of writer's block limited his literary aspirations to ghostwriting celebrity memoirs. But his happiness is short-lived when at his next meeting with Norma she asks for his help in discovering who is behind a series of increasingly threatening letters sent to her attention. Norma herself is not overly concerned about the letters but her boyfriend, Detective Lieutenant Romaine Very of the NYPD, thinks the threat of violence against Norma should not be so easily dismissed. Very feels the combination of Hoagy's detective skills and knowledge of the underbelly of the publishing world make him the perfect person to investigate the matter. Plus, Hoagy is a friend he can trust to take care of the love of his life. Hoagy agrees if for nothing else than to ease the minds of two people he cares about very much. After all, this is likely to be nothing more than a dramatic gesture from a frustrated writer. But as Hoagy and his trusty basset hound Lulu investigate, the threats move beyond the written word, making it clear that someone out there is determined to write a vicious ending to Norma's life. Could it be the wealthy aging children's author? The unethical snake of a literary agent? Or the handsy historian? This is not the return to the literary world that Hoagy dreamed of, but he is determined to unravel the mystery before the author of these crimes gets the last word.

Pisatel Stjuart Khog, esche nedavno kupavshijsja v luchakh slavy blagodarja shumnomu uspekhu svoego debjutnogo romana, perezhivaet tvorcheskij zastoj. Gonorary issjakli, druzja razbezhalis, ostalis lish kapriznaja sobaka Lulu da professionalnaja gordost. No sudba gotovit Stjuartu novoe ispytanie, kogda starejuschij komik Sanni Dej, byvshij korol ekstsentricheskoj komedii, predlagaet emu stat... literaturnym rabom! Nastupiv sebe na gorlo, Khog soglashaetsja napisat za Sanni ego memuary i s golovoj pogruzhaetsja v mir Gollivuda 1940-50-kh godov s ego bleskom, shalnymi dengami i ne menee shalnym obrazom zhizni. Odnako kto-to ochen ne khochet, chtoby memuary uvideli svet, i staratelno zapugivaet Stjuarta i Deja. Pytajas dokopatsja do istiny, Stjuart nevolno okazyvaetsja v samom tsentre opasnoj intrigi, kotoraja mozhet stoit emu zhizni... Perevodchik: Sinelnikova Marina

Stjuart Khog i ego basset-khaund Lulu otpravljajutsja v Angliju pisat biografiju Tristama Skarra, rok-zvezdy i lidera legendarnoj gruppy "My", davno zakonchivshego kareru i zhivuschego otshelnikom v tschatelno okhranjaemom pomeste. Istorija gruppy dovolno tipichna: rukovodstvujas lozungom "Seks, dragz end rok-n-roll", talantlivye podrostki iz poslevoennoj Anglii prodelali put ot repetitsij v starom garazhe k mirovoj slave i ogromnym dengam. Konechno, ne oboshlos i bez tragicheskikh smertej. Stjuart pytaetsja naladit kontakt s rokerom, khotja emu nastojchivo sovetujut ne voroshit proshloe. Naskolko sluchajny eti smerti? Pochemu kto-to ne khochet, chtoby memuary uvideli svet? Pisatelju predstoit rasputat ukhodjaschuju v proshloe istoriju, obernuvshujusja krovavoj razvjazkoj v nastojaschem. *Esche raz provesti vremja v obschestve Stjuarta Khoga i ego kapriznoj sobaki Lulu. *Okunutsja v bezumnyj mir rok-muzyki. *Vspomnit burnuju istoriju zarozhdenija rok-n-rolla. *Sledit za neozhidannymi povorotami sjuzheta. *Pogostit v pomeste ekstsentrichnogo rok-idola. Perevodchik: Vul Nikita

In this gripping mystery by US bestseller David Handler, sleuthing suthor Stewart Hoag investigates the murder of his wealthy neighbour, and discovers her dark past.1990s New York. Muriel Cantrell lives in a luxury apartment building on Central Park West, where she's known for her pride and joy: a 1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. Her neighbours include beautiful movie star Merilee Nash – and author Stewart 'Hoagy' Hoag. Hoag, whose career crashed when he got into drugs and alcohol, is on the up and he and basset hound Lulu are glad to be sharing Merilee's life (and apartment) again. Hoagy, Merilee and the building's other residents are shocked when delicate, sweet, elderly Muriel is murdered after a Halloween party. Who in the world would want to harm an old lady whose major vices were buying Chanel suits and watching daytime soap operas? NYPD Lieutenant Romaine Very investigates and again seeks assistance from his friend Hoagy, who is perfectly placed to help. Their sleuthing soon leads to the unexpected source of Muriel's wealth, the history of her years at the Copacabana nightclub, and how her Mob-linked chauffeur came to be called 'Bullets'... not to mention a desperate meth-head nephew, and wealthy neighbours with secrets of their own. A gripping, darkly comic new mystery, The Lady in the Silver Cloud was a Traditional & Historical Crime Club Pick on release. Reviews for David Handler'One of my all-time favourite series.' Harlan Coben'Adultery, blackmail, trick-or-treaters, unseemly ties to organized crime, and New York in the 1990s. What's not to like?' Kirkus'David Handler is a hoot, and his books are just the thing for what ails you.' Parnell Hall

In this gripping mystery by US bestseller David Handler, sleuthing suthor Stewart Hoag investigates the murder of his wealthy neighbour, and discovers her dark past. 1990s New York. Muriel Cantrell lives in a luxury apartment building on Central Park West, where she's known for her pride and joy: a 1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. Her neighbours include beautiful movie star Merilee Nash – and author Stewart 'Hoagy' Hoag. Hoag, whose career crashed when he got into drugs and alcohol, is on the up and he and basset hound Lulu are glad to be sharing Merilee's life (and apartment) again. Hoagy, Merilee and the building's other residents are shocked when delicate, sweet, elderly Muriel is murdered after a Halloween party. Who in the world would want to harm an old lady whose major vices were buying Chanel suits and watching daytime soap operas? NYPD Lieutenant Romaine Very investigates and again seeks assistance from his friend Hoagy, who is perfectly placed to help. Their sleuthing soon leads to the unexpected source of Muriel's wealth, the history of her years at the Copacabana nightclub, and how her Mob-linked chauffeur came to be called 'Bullets'... not to mention a desperate meth-head nephew, and wealthy neighbours with secrets of their own. A gripping, darkly comic new mystery, The Lady in the Silver Cloud was a Traditional & Historical Crime Club Pick on release. Reviews for David Handler 'One of my all-time favourite series.' Harlan Coben 'Adultery, blackmail, trick-or-treaters, unseemly ties to organized crime, and New York in the 1990s. What's not to like?' Kirkus 'David Handler is a hoot, and his books are just the thing for what ails you.' Parnell Hall

A 1955 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud is a fantastically expensive car, especially in the pristine condition of the one owned by Muriel Cantrell. Living in a luxury apartment building on Central Park West, the delicate, sweet 75-year-old woman is a neighbor of Merilee Nash, the beautiful movie star, and Stuart Hoag, whose first book was a sensation but whose career crashed when he became involved with drugs and alcohol. Divorced ten years earlier, Hoagy has been welcomed back into Merilee's life and apartment. Apparently universally beloved in her building, residents are shocked when Muriel is murdered after a Halloween party. No one takes it harder than her long-time chauffeur, Bullets Durmond, whose previous job was as an enforcer for the mob. Who in the world would want to harm the silver-haired lady whose major vices were buying shoes and Chanel suits (always in cash), and watching day-time soap operas? Lieutenant Frank Very of the NYPD is called to investigate and again seeks help from his friend Hoagy who, along with his beagle Lulu, has been an invaluable aide in the past. The investigation leads to the unexpected source of Muriel's wealth, the history of her early years as a hatcheck girl at the Copacabana, how her chauffeur came to be called Bullets, her desperate meth-head nephew, and her wealthy neighbors, who have secrets of their own.

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 . . .

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 . . .

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 . . .