In this engaging hard-boiled mystery, one of three in Schwartz's Jack Grant series (Frozen Stare; The Last Voice You Hear), the seasoned California PI looks into the disappearance of an ex-girlfriend at the request of the woman's husband. When her mutilated body turns up in the woods, Grant makes it his mission to track down her murderer. With the assistance of Lt. Diana Craig, an attractive fast-riser in the San Bernardino police department, Grant follows leads that point to his client, as well as to a consortium of underworld bosses who are branching out into a mega–real estate project. The pair find time, between car chases and gun battles, to begin a relationship, and while their banter is entertaining, the pacing might have benefited from slightly less attention paid to the dance of courtship. Fans of Robert Parker will enjoy encountering Grant, though he's not in Spenser's league. (POD)
