Sleight of Hand

Margolin kicks off his latest thriller with a bit of literary legerdemain. He introduces Charles Benedict, a strikingly handsome and charismatic defense attorney and amateur magician who appears to be the novel%E2%80%99s leading man. But Benedict is swiftly exposed as an extremely effective homicidal sociopath, and the book shifts to its true protagonist, private sleuth Dana Cutler, who is quickly dispatched on a convoluted cross-country search for a bejeweled golden scepter with a history curiously similar to that of Sam Spade%E2%80%99s famous Maltese Falcon. It%E2%80%99s a given that this quest will eventually bring the shrewd detective in contact with the homicidal Benedict. Jonathan Davis%E2%80%99s narration is smooth and well paced. He adds just the right amount of smarm and smirk to Benedict%E2%80%99s speech and captures all of Dana%E2%80%99s drive, determination, and fearlessness. The book%E2%80%99s other characters have more than their share of accents%E2%80%94from the mysterious Frenchwoman who sends Dana after the scepter to a surprisingly cheery Russian mob boss. Davis ably handles these and others in a stylish performance with just an appropriate hint of sardonic amusement. A Harper hardcover. (Apr.)