cover image East on Sunset

East on Sunset

Ken Mercer. Minotaur, $25.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-312-55837-6

Former narcotics detective Will Magowan, who was fired from the LAPD for substance abuse, has a lot to be happy about in Mercer's stellar follow-up to Slow Fire (2010). Besides getting back together with his wife, Laurie, and having a baby on the way, baseball fan Will has a new job as a security guard for the L.A. Dodgers. Meanwhile, Erik Crandall, who was put behind bars five years earlier after a drug bust, is now free and seeking payback%E2%80%94from Will. Sure that Will pilfered the drug stash from the bust, Crandall begins harassing Will for his cut, all $500,000 of it. Will knows nothing of the stolen drugs, but to get the steroid-fueled thug off his back, he needs to revisit his difficult past. Mercer masterfully ratchets up the suspense as the flawed, fully human Will strives to clear his name and protect his family at any cost. Author tour. (June)