Made in Detroit

In this latest crime thriller, Shamus Award-winner Kantner ( Dirty Work ) forms an engaging, action-packed story out of a collection of crazy improbabilities and coincidences. Private eye Ben Perkins, back for his fifth adventure, remains a likable hero, picking his way through the confusions of his love life as he sorts out the seemingly motiveless killing of a close friend. When Ben himself is arrested for the murder (he had repaired the car that exploded and killed his chum), he escapes from the police and sets out to find Angela, a gorgeous gangland hit woman who met secretly with the deceased just days before his death. Kantner captures the seedy glamour of Detroit's Mafia, portraying mob bosses who do business in old-fashioned underworld style from ultramodern offices in the heart of the new downtown. He ties up everything skillfully, but those who aren't familiar with the earlier Ben Perkins books may feel a bit excluded from the fun and let down by the ending, because Kantner has an unfortunate habit of obliquely bringing up Ben's crucial memories without giving enough details to make them comprehensible to new readers. (June)