Yesterday's News: A Novel of Suspense

Maintaining the standards set in his prize-winners Blunt Darts , The Staked Goat and others, Healy adds to the series starring John Cuddy, Boston PI. From nearby Nasharbor, reporter Jane Rust comes to hire Cuddy to prove her suspicions of a murder and coverup by the cops and her paper, the Beacon . The detective doubts Rust's story until news of her ``suicide'' brings him to the economically and morally depressed town. Rebuffed by both the editor of the Beacon and the police, Cuddy gets help from reporter Liz Rendell, who sneaks Rust's notes to him. Clues to a child-porn ring and other suspicious deaths tip the investigation toward police officers Hagan and Schonstein, despite their spotless reputations. Cuddy is lucky to survive attempts on his life as he keeps a promise to his dead client and rivets the reader to this pulse-racer. Rough humor, strange characters and chilling events contribute to a top-notch suspense thriller. (Aug.)