Slow Dance in Autumn

Hank Prince is a baseball player turned private eye in Atlanta. Literate, flip and often drunk, Prince wakens from a binge to learn that an old friend, Tony Browning, a small-time drug dealer, is missing. Hired to find Tony by his wife, Prince suspects drug-business trouble but he doesn't move quickly enough; first Tony's wife is shot to death, then Tony, too, is gunned down. One twist develops when Prince discovers a jewel-encrusted medieval cross hidden in the victim's house; another comes when the man's boss hires Prince to clear his organization of the murders. While alternating between states of sobriety and inebriation, Prince figures out who has masterminded the killings and frame-ups, and arranges that the kingpin be brought to justice. Williams ( All the Western Stars ) keeps an encumbered and uncompelling plot alive with his funny, movie-script quoting hero, whose next appearance will be anticipated by readers. (September)