Anything for You

Black’s third thriller featuring SFPD homicide detective Valerie Hart (after 2017’s [em]LoveMurder [/em]) offers an intricate puzzle. What makes Valerie so uneasy about a case with as much evidence as the slaying of prominent former prosecutor Adam Grant and the stabbing of his wife, Rachel, in their Pacific Heights home? Maybe it’s the fact that the guy the forensics finger—ex con Dwight Jenner, recently paroled after six years in San Quentin, courtesy of Adam—is nowhere to be found. Or perhaps it’s just Valerie’s somewhat guilty conscience at not recusing herself from the case because of her “abortive one-night stand” four years earlier with the victim, during her heavy-drinking days after separating from her husband, with whom she has since reconciled. Whatever the cause, her gut proves golden in this glossy game of mirrors from Black, who exploits multiple narrative perspectives and extended flashbacks to heighten the suspense. In the end, his sleight of hand may make some readers feel a bit played—but only after they’ve stayed up late into the night to discover the tale’s final twists. Agent: Jane Gelfman, Gelfman Schneider Literary Agency. (Nov.)