Bad August

Private-eye Joe Noonan fancies himself a modern-day Sam Spade and can be found in a sleazy little office in a dilapidated part of Manhattan. On one of Noonan's typical idle days, beautiful Angela Sonderling timidly enters his office unable to express why she wants to retain his services. He senses her helplessness and decides to assist her, but before he agrees to take on her case, she suddenly bolts away. Later, while Noonan is moonlighting as a bouncer at a supper club, he catches sight of Angela arguing with a man named Bobby Barrett and is intrigued by Angela's wire-taut hysteria and her relationship with the violent and sadistic Barrett. Aided by her psychiatrist, Noonan learns that the disappearance of Angela's father is at the crux of the young woman's problems. He travels to her home state to confront her mother, but what he uncovers leads him back to New York on a trail that smells of death and perversion. First-time author Hearn has managed to capture the essence of a hard-boiled mystery novel. Although flawed by a certain lack of originality, this is an appealing read. (September 25)