Blackball

Sangster's ex-London policeman James Reed (Snowball), now living in Malibu and divorced from his wealthy actress wife, makes a welcome second outing here. The novel's facile, casual style quickly draws the reader into a satisfying and well-constructed Chandleresque plot dealing with the corruptions of wealth and the deceit it inspires. When Reed plays the good samaritan for an inebriated neighbor he discovers a naked girl going through the man's bedroom safe. The next thing Reed knows, the girl has charged him with rape; which quite sets Reed's temper on edge. The drunk turns out to be reclusive multibillionaire Harold J. Everly, and, in his determination to even the score, Reed unofficially begins working for the tycoon. Almost immediately events escalate and Reed finds himself facing a possible murder rap. The swiftly unfolding plot leads Reed from the high-rolling casinos of Las Vegas to a fight for his life in the deserted wilds of Needles, Calif., taking in randy L.A. real estate brokers, a pair of lesbian tenants and a nasty 10-year-old unsolved murder along the way. Sangster definitely makes the grade as a gifted suspense writer. (October 26)