Boulevard by Stephen Jay Schwartz (Forge, Sept.) follows LAPD homicide detective Hayden Glass through violent crime scenes while he investigates a rape/murder case involving the daughter of an L.A. politician. His scene: “strolling Sunset Boulevard and picking prostitutes.” Which is why, in between all of the cop talk, Glass is often found re-evaluating his life and career in 12-step Sex Addicts Anonymous meetings across the city. But Schwartz isn't the run-of-the-mill crime writer here. Boulevard reads methodically from the point of view of someone who knows how to maneuver effectively through the world of street prostitution and not get sucked in to the point of disrepair. As a reader, I wonder how it is Schwartz isn't either dead or in jail for what he must have gone through to deliver this surprisingly euphoric book. As a bookseller, I recommend not taking it lightly; Boulevard will surprise even the most obsessive of Angelenophiles.