Phantom Angel--A Mystery

December 1, 2014
The world of Broadway provides the backdrop for Handler’s effervescent second Benji Golden mystery (after 2013’s Runaway Man). The biggest of big producers, Morrie Frankel, has need of Benji’s firm, Golden Legal Services, founded by his former-police-detective father and former-pole-dancer mother. Morrie is desperate to find his billionaire angel (that’s Broadway for backer) for his troubled musical version of Wuthering Heights. Benji’s only hope is to locate the angel’s supposed girlfriend, a sweet, naïve Louisiana runaway, one Jonquil “Boso” Beausoleil. The madras-shorts–clad, Ethel Merman–loving, 20-something Benji is a most unlikely sleuth, but he’s a smart one, and he’s surrounded by a slew of flesh-and-blood New Yorkers, ranging from a sexy gossip monger to a tender, handsome urban farmer. With pitch-perfect dialogue that’s often hilarious (especially the running joke about Alvin and the Chipmunks) leading up to Benji’s Sherlock moment of a reveal, this entry is a wacky delight. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency.

December 15, 2014
A legendary Broadway producer's attempts to fund a musical ring down the curtain on his own life in a sequel to Runaway Man (2013). The great Morrie Frankel may be Mr. Broadway himself-the last of the independent producers. But his attempts to stage Wuthering Heights, the musical, are definitely not going his way. Plagued with a male lead who sings like one of the Chipmunks, a female lead who's broken her ankle, a director with whom Morrie had a lover's quarrel, and worst of all, sinking funds, Morrie depends on the backing of hedge fund billionaire R.J. Farnell. When Farnell disappears, Morrie hires Benji Golden, a baby-faced 25-year-old, who, after a brief acting career, is working for the family business, Golden Legal Services. Morrie wants Benji to find Farnell, who's supposed to be bait for other backers and fend off rival producers salivating to take over Wuthering Heights. The best Benji can do is to track down Farnell's girlfriend, Jonquil "Boso" Beausoleil, a young, pretty aspiring actress who's currently a webcam girl for an online porn site run by one of the biggest crime bosses in New York. Benji's drawn to her not just because she's a few inches shorter than his own slight self, but because he sees something in her big blue eyes that he understands all too well. After Morrie is shot in broad daylight in front of witnesses, Benji and a detective friend of his fight their way through the tangles of a government sting, a news blog run by Benji's sort-of ex-girlfriend, a scam that proves how desperate Morrie really was-and a betrayal that puts Benji's and Boso's lives on the line. Veteran Handler (The Coal Black Asphalt Tomb, 2014, etc.) has a knack for lively plots and quirky yet believable characters. Despite one hint too many about the murderer, Benji's second adventure is no exception.

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January 1, 2015

PI Benji Golden takes the case of a missing investor, or "angel," for Morrie Frankel's over-the-top musical production of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Yet this angel seems to be made of smoke and mirrors. When Golden quits the investigation, his former client is shot on 42nd Street. Now Benji's case is real, and he is stuck square in the middle of the investigation. Golden's second case (after Runaway Man) takes readers on a tour of the best--and worst--of Broadway.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
Legendary Broadway showman Morrie Frankel is in trouble and turns to PI Benji Golden, of Golden Legal Services, for help. Frankel has sole control of producing a musical version of Wuthering Heights, but he is out of money and hires Golden to find R. J. Farnell, the British hedge-fund billionaire who promised $12 million to back the show but then disappeared. Find Farnell's girlfriend, Jonquil Beausoleil, and you'll find him, too, Frankel says. Golden soon locates and connects with Beausoleil, only to learn more about Frankel's problems through Cricket O'Shea, a trendy Broadway blogger with whom he has a history. It becomes clear that Farnell is actually a phantom angel, with Golden hired simply to buy Frankel time, but time is soon the least of Frankel's problems. Narrator Golden (introduced in Runaway Man, 2013) may have a baby face, but he also has street smarts and an appealing candor. Two murders aside, this is relatively low in suspense but high in wisecracking humor, a fast read that's smooth as it can be, with a protagonist you just want to hug.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)