Polo in the Rough

This diverting caper featuring PI Nick Polo ( Polo Ponies ) opens with the death of the man whom Polo had been hired to protect. Investigative journalist Jack Slate was writing a book exposing those who had helped themselves to the Swiss-bank bounty of Iran's late Shah, and obviously someone didn't want Slate to name names. The story unfolds as a mad dash for the missing manuscript, with Polo learning, painfully, that he is up against some particularly vicious characters. He is helped by Slate's purported girlfriend, but her loyalty, if not her allure, remains in doubt. Before the surprising and deadly ending, Kennealy, a PI himself, weaves a series of twists and turns that reveal a sure-handed knowledge of detective work. (July)