Foxed: A Detective Lane Mystery (Detective Lane Mysteries)
The discovery of the desiccated body of young Zander Rowe confirms the old suspicion that the missing boy was murdered. Detectives Lane and Keely Saliba have a motive—gangland revenge against Zander's brother Robert, implicated in drive-by murders—and a prime suspect in the form of supposedly reformed gangster turned respectable businessman Kev Moreau. What the police lack is hard evidence against Moreau. But as a growing list of dead witnesses proves, the charming sociopath is determined to go to any lengths to protect himself and his new life. The sixth book in this series has a multicultural cast and seems modestly Canadian in other aspects: Ryan's prose is clear without being flashy, his antagonist is suitably villainous without descending into melodrama, the police themselves show a laudable diligence and the supporting characters are allowed their own flashes of competence and pluck. Even the minor antagonist of Robert Rowe, whose misguided quest for personal vengeance needlessly complicates Lane and Saliba's job, gets an unusually sympathetic treatment. The result is a workmanlike novel many readers will enjoy. (Oct.)