According to St. John: A Detective Novel

San Francisco private eye Jeremiah St. John ( St. John's Baptism ) is back with his partners, the gorgeous blonde ex-cop Mickey and the 67 full-blooded Seminole Chief Moses. Mickey's old college roommate Denny, understudy to an aging star, gets to open as Lady Macbeth, with a nude sleepwalking scene that soon is overshadowed by the death by poisoning of the star. When the cops point to Denny as chief suspect, St. John and associates step in to help, cracking the case after they determine the victim's sexual preference and the theater company's financial state. Babula tries for colorful characters but fails: Moses is given to cutesy one-liners (Columbus is ``the original illegal alien''). St. John, whose vintage T-Bird, ``No Smoking'' signs in the office, blazers and trendy local beer are puerile sexual observations, is decidedly soft-boiled. (June)