Playing for Keeps

Waterhouse's debut is a corker in a mystery with an unusual plot and cast, headed by detective Hunter Murtaugh of Hoboken, N.J. Swelling the population, upward-striving couples from New York move in among Hoboken's working-class and Puerto Rican families. The newcomers make financial killings, paying little for properties that would be unaffordable in Manhattan. When a little boy and two old women are murdered, Murtaugh defends the suspects, Jaime Sanchez and his pals, victims of blatant discrimination. Interrogating the people living near the scenes of the crime, the detective becomes friendly with a yuppie wife, artist Dana Hall. Dana is the next person to die by the rules of a vicious game that the outraged Murtaugh takes a hand in, playing for keeps. Finding clues in Dana's sketches of neighboring houses, he draws the killers to a showdown in a stunning climax. One hopes for more adventures featuring Waterhouse's tough, kindly, persevering detective. (November 24)