The Coal Black Asphalt Tomb

The ninth installment in David Handler’s mystery series featuring Berger and Mitry is titled “The Coal Black Asphalt Tomb.” The narrative takes place in Dorset, a medieval New England community where a woman has been chosen to serve as its first selectman. She takes on the largest infrastructure project in a generation, regrading and widening Dorset Street.

A body buried beneath the pavement in front of the Congregational Church was found during the protracted excavation. It belonged to U.S. Navy pilot Lt. Lance Paffin, who vanished almost 40 years ago. Des and Mitch, the main characters, quickly unearth dark, gritty realities about Dorset’s elite, exposing the fact that some illustrious professions have been founded on falsehoods.