County Line

Contemporary sharp-edged noir doesn't get much better than Cameron's mournful third novel featuring ex-cop Skin Kadash (after 2010's Day One). Kadash, who's recovering from a serious gunshot wound, returns to Portland, Ore., to reboot his relationship with on-and-off lover Ruby Jane Whittaker, the owner of a coffee shop chain. When he's unable to reach Whittaker, a desperate Kadash goes to her apartment, only to find the corpse of an elderly man in her bathtub. Aided by Peter McKrall, who also was involved with Whittaker, Kadash follow tenuous leads to find her, a search made more urgent by a murder. At one point, the narrative flashes back almost 20 years, to provide Whittaker's tragic backstory, which continues to reverberate in the present. The twists flow naturally from what the reader has learned about the characters, though it's clear Kadash has hidden facets Cameron has yet to explore. (June)