The Woman Who Fell From Grace

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Ghostwriting a sequel to Oh, Shenandoah, Hoagy believes he has landed an opportunity that will re-launch his career, until he is confronted with an otherworldly collaborator, family skeletons, and a handful of murders. Reissue. PW. From Publishers WeeklyIn his first hardcover appearance, novelist/ghost writer Hoagy Hoag, seen last in The Man Who Would Be F. Scott Fitzgerald , takes on the assignment of a lifetime--to write the sequel to the most popular novel in publishing history, Oh, Shenandoah . Alma Glaze, author of the sweeping tale of the Revolutionary War, was killed in an accident 50 years earlier, right after the equally popular film of the book was completed. When Hoagy agrees to the project, he takes on some alarming partners: domineering Mavis Glaze, Alma's sole heir; her twin brothers, Frederick and Edward, mostly dependent on their sister for financing; and nubile Mercy Glaze, Mavis's only child and heir to the Shenandoah fortune. The family housekeeper is found dead after suggesting that the mysterious death of one of the stars, which also occurred right after the film's completion, was murder. Despite the displeasure of the local sheriff, Mercy's fiance, Hoagy investigates. As he digs for ancient secrets and copes with another murder and an alienated young orphan, preparations for a vast anniversary celebration swirl around him. Handler's breezy, unpretentious and warm-hearted hero provides a breath of fresh air in a world of investigative angst. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Kirkus ReviewsEdgar-winning Handler's hardcover debut--another headliner in Doubleday's new Perfect Crime series--takes his ghostwriter-sleuth Stewart Hoag to Staunton, Virginia, to work on the sequel to beloved historical blockbuster Oh, Shenandoah, at the request of the family of author Alma Glaze, killed 50 years ago in a car accident. Sound familiar? Well, Alma's diary of the filming of Oh, Shenandoah puts Hoagy on the trail of a Hollywood murder and coverup, and suggests that Alma's own death was no accident. And while he's trying to sell the Glaze family (smooth, elderly twins Edward and Frederick and their crazy sister Mavis) on his theory, the present-day cast starts to get killed off too. Full of incredible coincidences and too cute by half--but Hoagy's laid-back humor is easy to take, and the convoluted mystery will keep you guessing midway through the finale. -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.