Diamond Eyes

PI Alo Nudger, at the St. Louis airport to pick up a pal, offers his business card to a distraught woman just before an incoming plane blows apart. The next morning she arrives at his office with a wild story about a bomb in an attache case and a fortune in stolen diamonds, and Nudger gets involved because he needs the fee to fend off his greedy, vindictive ex-wife and her sleazy lawyer. Then his new client is tortured and murdered, and when the hard-nosed killers threaten Nudger's lover and let Nudger know that they are watching his every move, Nudger's friend and former partner, police detective Jack Hammersmith, offers information and protection. In his sixth appearance ( The Exposure ), Nudger continues to reinforce his down-and-out image: he is broke, sweaty, and cursed with a nervous stomach and a fear of guns. While readers unfamiliar with the series may find this entry pedestrian and bland, the resolution will surprise both fans and newcomers. (Dec.)