David Handler

David Handler (born 1952 in Los Angeles and resides in Old Lyme, CT) - began his professional life as a reporter and Broadway critic in New York City. Became a screenwriter and prolific author of mystery series. His most Jewish protagonist is Benji Golden in a 2-volume series:

Handler, David, (Runaway Man [hc, Minotaur Books, 2013] 978-1250011626

Handler, David, (Phantom Angel [hc, Minotaur Books, 2015] 978-1250059734

Benji’s Jewish identity is a central, recurring element that shapes the series’ tone, humor, and setting. It is expressed less through religious practice and more through cultural heritage, family dynamics, and his specific New York City environment. His Jewishness is expressed through:

Family Legends: he is the son of a “hero-cop” father and a mother who is famously known in the series for being the only Jewish pole dancer in New York City. This unconventional family background provides a humorous, secular Jewish lens through which he views the world.

The Family Business: He works for Golden Legal Services, a “struggling mom-and-pop” private detective agency located above a 24-hour diner on Broadway and 103rd Street—a quintessential Upper West Side Jewish-American setting.

Cultural “Outsider” Status: Benji is often described as “baby-faced” and short (five-foot-six), which he uses to his advantage. His Jewish identity often serves as a point of contrast when his investigations take him into “WASPy” or high-society Manhattan circles, where he feels like a street-smart outsider.

Dialogue and Humor: The series utilizes a “witty and amusing” tone that echoes traditional Jewish-American humor—self-deprecating, fast-paced, and deeply cynical yet sentimental.

Secular Identity: While Benji is culturally Jewish, he is not portrayed as particularly observant of religious laws. His identity is defined by his neighborhood, his mother’s influence, and his father’s legacy rather than synagogue attendance or ritual.  [Google/AI]

Handler’s other Jewish protagonist is Mitch Berger, a pudgy, widowed film critic from New York City, who gets together with Desiree Mitry, a brilliant and beautiful African-American Connecticut State Trooper in an 11-volume series. Their relationship isn’t just a romance; it is a “deliciously mismatched” partnership in crime detection where their differing cultural experiences allow them to see clues that the upper-crust, WASP-y residents of Dorset, CT overlook. Berger/Mitry is regarded as a cozy mystery, though one with more edge and sharp humour than most others. Handler infuses Mitch with a specific “Jewish angst” characterized by a cycle of guilt and hand-wringing. This informs his internal monologue and his cautious, often self-deprecating approach to the mysteries he investigates. His background as a “nice Jewish boy” from the city pavements shapes his moral compass. While he isn’t a detective by trade, his perspective as a film critic—often analyzing moral themes in cinema—is filtered through his Jewish cultural upbringing. Mitch is described as being only one generation removed from Eastern Europe. This proximity to his roots creates a sense of living between two worlds—the traditional world of his parents and the elite, secular world of the Connecticut Gold Coast. In The Blood Red Indian Summer, Mitch’s Jewishness is the primary driver of the plot’s social tension. His parents’ visit forces him to reconcile his private life with his traditional Jewish family expectations, specifically regarding his choice of a partner.  [Google/AI]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #1], (The Cold Blue Blood) [hc, Minotaur Books, 2001] 978-0312280031 [pb, Minotaur, 2002] 978-0312986100 [Mitch Berger, a reclusive widower and film critic, moves to Connecticut’s Gold Coast for a change of scenery. He teams up with Lt. Desiree Mitry after stumbling upon a high-society murder.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #2], (The Hot Pink Farmhouse)  [hc, Minotaur, 2002] 978-0312280154 [pb, Minotaur, 2003] 978-0312987046 [Mitch and Des investigate a case involving a colorful property and a rebellious teenager, deepening their personal and professional bond.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #3], (The Bright Silver Star) [hc, Minotaur Books, 2003] 978-0312307141 [pb, Minotaur, 2004] 978-0312307141 [Hollywood drama arrives in Dorset when a movie star dies on a cliffside, testing the duo’s partnership.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #4], (The Burnt Orange Sunrise) [hc, Thorndike Press, 2005] 978-0786271344 [pb, St. Martin’s Press, 2005] 978-0312985790 [In an “Agatha Christie-style” setup, Mitch and Des are trapped in a snowed-in castle with a killer.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #5], (The Sweet Golden Parachute) [hc, Minotaur Books, 2006] 978-0312342111 [The pair navigates the complex social hierarchies and hidden motives of the wealthy residents of Dorset.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #6], (The Sour Cherry Surprise) [hc, Minotaur Books, 2008] 978-0312376697 [ Mitch briefly moves back to New York City, creating a rift in his relationship with Des while they deal with a new mystery.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #7], (The Shimmering Blond Sister [hc, Minotaur Books, 2010] 978-0312574857 [The duo investigates secrets involving families and local gossip in their historic village.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #8], (The Blood Red Indian Summer [hc, Minotaur Books, 2011] 978-0312648350 [Mitch’s Jewish parents, Seymour and Sarah Berger, visit from Florida, to meet Desiree for the first time. The plot heavily features the cultural and generational clash as his traditional Jewish parents react to his relationship with Desiree, who is both black AND non-Jewish! This creates cultural tension just as a new murder investigation begins.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #9], (The Snow White Christmas Cookie [hc, Minotaur Books, 2012] 978-1250004543 - A holiday-themed mystery set against the backdrop of Dorset’s small-town traditions.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #10], (The Coal Black Asphalt Tomb [hc, Minotaur Books, 2014] 978-1250041975 [Mitch and Des tackle another case involving the dark secrets of the Connecticut shoreline.]

Handler, David [Berger/Mitry Series #11], (The Lavender Lane Lothario [hc, Minotaur Books, 2016] 978-1250076113 [The investigation focuses on a local building inspector who was secretly juggling four girlfriends before being found in the remains of a burned-down bar.  [Google/AI]