Legwork

Casey Jones isn't a great beauty. Nor is she a licensed P.I.--a criminal record prohibits that. But she is smart, tough and tenacious. All of which comes in handy because the influential Senate hopeful she's been guarding has just been arrested for murder. As Jones dodges the official investigation, she stumbles upon some nasty secrets shared by her client and the killer. Jones is more complex than many other female sleuths--she's cynical, raunchy and has none of the reticence that can be so irksome: ""I could try to bluff or I could go ahead and scare the shit out of him. I opted for the most reliable route. I removed the .380 from my pocketbook and placed it on my lap with the barrel pointed at his crotch. `I'm not really in the mood to fuck around.' "" Munger does a fine job of bringing to life the Southern backdrop of Raleigh, N.C., and the good old boys Casey has to contend with. The book, the first in a series, is a wonderfully entertaining read. (July)