cover image The Next Time You Die: A Lee Henry Oswald Mystery

The Next Time You Die: A Lee Henry Oswald Mystery

Harry Hunsicker, . . St. Martin's Minotaur/Dunne, $23.95 (291pp) ISBN 978-0-312-34850-2

Dallas PI Lee Henry "Hank" Oswald has more problems than his hackle-raising name in his second violence-filled outing (after 2005's Still River ). A throwback PI, Hank can take a beating and frequently does; he's turned in a friend on principle; he sleeps with clients (pretty, female); and he has friends and enemies on both sides of the law. An alcoholic Baptist minister starts Hank on a journey to recover a file, while a state senator hires him to play bodyguard for a friend's daughter. Hank's friends include a "six-foot-six quasi-psychopathic homosexual shit-kicker" who's also an arms dealer. His enemies include a psychopath who seems to be everywhere and unstoppable. It's sometimes hard to tell the good guys from the bad as Hank tools around in a borrowed Bentley trying to make sense of the constantly shifting players seeking the file. A bit of humor leavens the tough-guy action, but mostly it's macho mayhem to the max. (July)