THE TROJAN DOG

Australian author Johnston's literary, character-driven crime debut explores white-collar corruption as well as a modern woman's personal transformation. Sandra Mahoney, a self-described "wife on pause," is feeling stifled after her husband departs Australia to work in the States for a year, leaving her behind to take care of their young son. Sandra takes a job at Canberra's Department of Labor Relations, where she oversees a report on discriminatory wage practices against home-based workers. Her boss, the cool and reserved Rae Evans, has been suspected of siphoning off department money by illegally adjusting a large grant given to a bogus company. Convinced that Evans has been framed, Sandra devotes herself to quietly investigating the case. Readers will applaud as she comes into her own, aided by a gregarious and eccentric co-worker, Ivan Semyonov, who soon becomes her lover. Though there are a lot of interesting technical details about computer hacking and fraud, the sluggish, murder-free plot may frustrate some American mystery readers. Another weak point is a largely unexplored plot strand involving Rae and Sandra's now-deceased mother. Still, to quote from Ken Bruen's blurb, Sandra is "a terrific creation and achingly real." Agent, Jenny Darling at Jenny Darling & Associates. (Mar. 21)