A Town Called Malice

A crafty plot and a nuanced look at gentrified Boston lifts Abramowitz’s impressive second mystery featuring bike messenger and would-be stand-up comic Zesty Meyers (after 2017’s Bosstown). Zesty has a mixed record with law enforcement, having taken the Fifth when he was called before a federal grand jury to testify against a crook accused of tax evasion, but he remains on good terms with homicide detective Batista Wells, who was involved in the case. One night, Batista walks into Nick’s Comedy Stop, where Zesty is performing, with Anitra Tehran, a Boston Globe investigative reporter. At the end of the show, someone throws a Molotov cocktail at Anitra, who escapes largely unscathed. The question remains which of her recent stories, including an exposé of gang infiltration of a touted midnight basketball league and a deep dig into real estate bought by Eastern Europeans to launder money, triggered the attempted hit. Robert B. Parker fans will appreciate Abramowitz’s depiction of the darker corners of Beantown. Agents: Meg Ruley and Rebecca Scherer, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Mar.)