Dorset, like other New England villages, is a haven for artists, writers and those ex-New Yorkers who are fortunate enough to be able to conduct their business from their home computer. Most famous among Dorset residents is Wendell Frye, affectionately known as Hangtown. Hangtown is a sculptor, using other people’s cast off junk as a basis for his artistic creations. Reclusive by nature, Hangtown is rarely seen by his fellow residents. But Mitch, delivering the results of a yard clean up at the dump, encounters Hangtown scavenging material for his next project. Hangtown develops an immediate liking for the film critic as they are both old film devotees, and invites Mitch for dinner, an unprecedented move for the eccentric artist.

At the dinner Mitch meets Hangtown’s two daughters who seem to have nothing in common except for their father. Mary Susan (called Moose), the elder, is a big, plain, soft-spoken teacher. Takai, the younger daughter, is a lithe, shrewd Asian beauty who makes her living as a real estate agent. When Moose is killed in a fiery explosion while driving Takai’s Porsche, authorities quickly ascertain that the death is a homicide. Since Moose rarely drove her sister’s car (and, in fact, was only driving it this time because her own vehicle failed to start), the assumption is made that Takai was the intended victim. Takai, with her prickly personality, had few friends and a multitude of enemies. The list of potential suspects is lengthy.

In what at first appears to be a rather mundane cozy mystery, David Handler has devised a novel with a bit more bite. Des with her background in major crimes has a good idea how to conduct her investigation, and Mitch, her love interest, has good rapport with the family involved but, due to Hangtown’s celebrity status, higher ranking officials from the state arrive to supervise. So far it sounds like a typical cozy mystery. But the details of the car explosion are described in scientific terms, with a careful explanation proving why the explosion had to have been generated by an external source.

The pace and direction of life in a small town is cleverly recounted. With tongue in cheek, it is revealed that everyone in town has secrets (which, of course, everyone else would like to know), and, since everyone knows everyone else, the gossip mill runs rampant. Anything that happens is deemed by the inhabitants as personally affecting them, and tempers flare at the slightest provocation. The usual squabbles over progress versus retaining the quaintness of the place play a prominent role in the plot, but the additional foibles of the major players injects a bit of spice. The author manages to insert enough realism to rescue the action from becoming a soap opera scenario. To this end Des’ attempts to deal with the town ruffians in a creative way makes the novel more true to life.

Though not likely to keep you awake at night pondering difficult choices the major protagonists must make, The Hot Pink Farmhouse ends with something more substantial than they all lived happily ever after.

--Andy Plonka