New Orleans Requiem: An Andy Brousard/Kit Franklyn Mystery

Lots of Louisiana color, pinpoint plotting and two highly likable characters who chase a cunning killer with a taste for games distinguish the latest case (after No Mardi Gras for the Dead ) for New Orleans Medical Examiner Andy Broussard and psychologist Kit Franklyn. During a forensic science convention in the Crescent City, accruing corpses feature clean cuts to the heart and missing eyelids; Scrabble tiles are found near each body. The extensive plotting ranges from the macabre details of the killings to the actions of a lithe, wise stripper and even a clue cut from a Where's Waldo book. Donaldson sets his sleuths on far-ranging leads, yet wastes little motion as he produces a smart, convincing solution that encompasses all the densely laid clues. There's plenty of atmosphere too. While the French Quarter offers its alluring blend of the historical and the colorfully lewd, Broussard wraps his sizable chops around seafood po' boy sandwiches, and Kit deals with assorted threats, desired and not, to her single life. (Apr.)