Keeper of the Flame

This is the sixth mystery (after Straight No Chaser) in prolific author Batten's series featuring the wily, one-named Crang, a lawyer and sleuth who thrives on taking on unorthodox cases. The action begins when Roger Carnale, the manager of the rising star rap performer Flame, hires Crang to deal with a blackmailing minister. Rev. Alton Douglas wants $8 million to return the handwritten lyrics to songs Flame wrote as a youth that are so offensive they will ruin his career if they come to light. Crang soon makes a deal with the reverend to get the papers back, but then the minister is found dead in his office. Crang follows the trail from the church of Heaven's Philosophers%E2%80%94a front for illegal activities%E2%80%94all over Toronto to get to the bottom of the blackmail scheme and murder. Batten fills the book with a colorful cast of characters: Crang himself; his smart-talking assistant, Gloria; his author girlfriend, Annie; his friend Maury's girlfriend Sal, who dabbles in acting in porn films; and various others who help or hinder Crang along the way. Batten's sardonic humor adds fun to this fast-paced whodunit that will keep readers guessing until the final showdown. (May)