Mom Among the Liars

In Yaffe's ( Mom Doth Murder Sleep ) cleverly plotted tale, Dave, an investigator in the public defender's office in Mesa Grande, Colo., and his 75-year-old mother--his self-appointed amateur partner--come up against small-town politics when they track the strangler of Edna Pulaski, a madam. Charged with the murder, homeless Harry Stubbins claims that Edna invited him in out of the cold and drugged him; when he woke up the next morning, he found her dead. Dave pegs Harry's story as a ``crazy whopper,'' but Mom asks pointed questions about Edna's personal habits--such as her drinking preferences--and Harry's background that keep the investigation on course. Local DA Marvin McBride, running for reelection, is handling the case himself; his office hampers Dave's defense investigation by sitting on information it is supposed to make available. Readers who don't mind Mom's smugness will find this a lively and entertaining mystery; those who do will be hard pressed to stick with this deftly crafted puzzle to the end. (Nov.)