The Blood Red Indian Summer by David Handler, a Mysterious Review.

Review: When the neighbors start complaining about the newest resident of their tony neighborhood — and then start turning up dead — journalist Mitch Berger is drawn into the middle of it all when the near-dead body of one of the newcomers washes up on his property in The Red Blood Indian Summer, the eighth mystery in this series by David Handler.

Popular football player Tyrone "Da Beast" Grantham has moved into a luxurious mansion on Turkey Neck Road along the coast of Dorset (Connecticut). He's been suspended from the team for conduct unbecoming, and is enjoying his respite with his wife Jamella, her sister Kinitra, their father Rondell, together with members of his immediate family, his mother, brother, and cousin. Happy they may be together, but quiet they are not. Add to the mix the paparazzi, TV news hounds and celebrity gawkers and it's no surprise the long-time residents of the community are up in arms. Mitch has managed to avoid the worst of it, until he finds Kinitra's battered, but alive body on the shore by his home. Mitch's girlfriend, State Trooper Desiree Mitry, is assigned to the case … which gets far more complicated when one of the most outspoken opponents to the Granthams is found dead, together with his attorney.

The author deftly handles the racial issues that are raised in this mystery, with Des — a black cop serving a largely white community — dealing with a black family that seems determined to make their presence known in the most disruptive manner possible. There's also the subplot involving the Mitch's Jewish parents coming to town to meet Des. All this adds tension but does not detract from the mystery surrounding the murders. Mitch and Des are engaging and very interesting series characters, individually and as a couple, and the large supporting cast are well drawn and developed here. The Red Blood Indian Summer is a fast-paced mystery, but one that has a lot of depth to it as well.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of The Blood Red Indian Summer.

Acknowledgment: Minotaur Books provided a copy of The Blood Red Indian Summer for this review.

The Shimmering Blond Sister
Minotaur Books (Hardcover), October 2010
ISBN-13: 9780312574857; ISBN-10: 0312574851

The Blood Red Indian Summer

A Berger and Mitry Mystery by David Handler