cover image Midnight Alley: An Ash Levine Novel

Midnight Alley: An Ash Levine Novel

Miles Corwin. Oceanview (Midpoint, dist.), $25.95 (296p) ISBN 978-1-60809-038-9

Corwin’s second police thriller featuring LAPD Det. Ash Levine doesn’t live up to the promise of its predecessor, 2010’s Kind of Blue. Levine is trying to reconnect with his wife, Robin, after a painful separation, but their planned weekend getaway to Santa Barbara falls through after Levine’s boss asks him to handle a major case. Raymond Pinkney, the son of a councilman who’s a vehement critic of the police, has been gunned down in an alley, and the brass would like to rely on Levine’s role as a lead member of the Felony Special Unit to demonstrate that they’re sparing no efforts to close the case. The chapters dealing with the homicide inquiry alternate with those concerning a vicious ex-con named Mullin, who accepts an offer for $25,000 to take out a cop. Smooth prose compensates in part for characters who act improbably, such as a defense lawyer claiming he can succeed at a trial by never using the word shooting. Author tour. (Apr.)