TEARS OF THE DRAGON

Baxter takes the cozy a long way from Miss Marple's small village of St. Mary Mead to crime-ridden early 1930s Chicago in this refreshing and exciting series debut. Elodie Browne, a bright and promising young writer, hears strange noises one night when the elevator door opens on the wrong floor of her office building. Later, while working for extra money as a server at a party hosted by a wealthy Chinese importer, she witnesses a shocking scene: a guard shoots dead a bloodied man waving a knife and shouting what sounds like "Mingdow." These two seemingly unrelated incidents propel the spunky Elodie into the corrupt heart of mob-ruled Chicago as well as into the tangled world of Chinese politics. Realistic characters, natural dialogue, well-integrated historical detail and a surprise twist ending mark this as superior mystery fare. Agent, Gelfman Schneider. (June 1)

FYI: Baxter is the pseudonym of Paula Gosling ( Fair Game), who has won the CWA's Creasey Dagger and Golden Dagger awards.