Stewart Hoag Mysteries #11
William Morrow Paperbacks
August 2019
On Sale: August 13, 2019
272 pages ISBN: 0062863304 EAN: 9780062863300 Kindle: B07G131YMM Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
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 1990βs New York City, investigating a bestselling authorβs stolen manuscript and three murders linked to the crime.
Washed-up celebrity ghostwriter Stewart βHoagyβ 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 offersβand also her fickle feelings for Hoagyβfrom her elegant eight-room apartment looking over Central Park. When Merilee offers her home for Hoagyβs use while sheβs shooting on location, hope blossoms that he might finally get some real work doneβ¦ and solidify their rekindling romance.
Then Hoagy receives a call from his literary agent asking if he can meet with publishingβs most ruthless and reviled editor, Sylvia James, for a drink at the Algonquin Hotel. After disclosing that aging literary genius Addison Jamesβalso Sylviaβs father and main client βhas not in fact written his last two bestselling historical sagas, Sylvia reveals her suspicions that Addisonβs assistant Tommy OβBrienβthe true authorβhas run away with their most recent manuscript and is holding it for ransom. Tempted by Sylviaβs offer to bid a hefty advance for his novel-in-progress, Hoagy agrees to help unearth Tommyβs sudden disappearance. If only heβd known exactly what he was getting himself into, he mightβve saved himself from the ensuing grief that follows in his hot pursuit of Tommy. But then, that wouldnβt be a normal day in the life of Hoagy.
With clattering claims of a mugging, a stolen manuscript, and three murders, now itβs up to Hoagy and his short- legged sidekick Lulu to unravel this baffling, bizarre case.
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