Blood Warning

Dillmann's third classic police procedural (after Unholy Matrimony ) describes another real case, although some of the characters have been given fictitious names. A signal over the car radio informs veteran New Orleans detective John Dillmann that a murder has occurred; it is a crime of sensational violence that will be the most difficult case of his career. A few days after the murder of William Hines Jr., a gentle, much-loved proofreader for the New Orleans Times Picayune , there's another homicide, but this time the victim is black, an up-and-coming hotel executive who is young, not middle-aged. The only thing connecting the crimes is the modus operandi of the knife-wielding perpetrator. With Det. Fred Dantagnan and Patrolman John Reilly, Dillmann searches among the dregs of New Orleans society and finally comes up with a short list of unsavory suspects. How Dillmann sets about making the arrest, and how the murderer is finally brought to justice, make a riveting tale. A natural storyteller, Dillmann conveys considerable suspense--no mean trick when the story's a true one, already resolved. Literary Guild, Doubleday Book CLub and Mystery Guild alternates. (Sept.)