If you want to read a New York–based mystery that’s funny without being frivolous, serious while still being amusing, try The Lady in the Silver Cloud, by David Handler. Although this novel is #13 in a series — the “Stewart Hoag” mysteries, also known as the “Hoagy and Lulu” mysteries, as Hoag’s basset hound Lulu always plays a major role in all of them — you can jump right in without having read the previous 12, as all relevant pieces of the back story become clear enough quickly enough.

Hoag is a professional ghostwriter, not a private detective, but that’s all right as he has the assistance of a real-life police detective as well as the aforementioned Lulu. I was confused at first since I didn’t realize immediately that Lulu is a dog and a Silver Cloud is a car — a Rolls Royce at that — but the confusion didn’t last long.

The plot is easy enough to follow. Sense of place is handled convincingly. Characterization is a bit meh, but it doesn’t matter too much in this sort of novel. The entire book held my attention from beginning to end, and it’s a quick enough read to make it a good choice for checking out from the library.

Categories: Books