A Dry and Thirsty Ground

Heading toward Big Sur to rescue his oldest pal from an ax murder charge, San Francisco PI Ben Henry finds two raging forest fires, a xenophobic mountain clan, marijuana farming, a retarded boy who wants to play Hawk to Ben's Spenser, a nurse suspected of euthanasia--even romance. Sounds promising, but Edgar winner Weiss ( Double Play ) has hung his tale on an ecological hook (managing forests with controlled burns by local landowners) that sometimes engenders tedium. Excellent descriptive passages and some engrossing scenes--fighting the fire, visiting a marijuana magnate's high-tech operation--do not compensate for didacticism, uneven characterization and portentous pronouncements (``He was wicked, but I didn't think he was evil''). Those who persevere, however, will enjoy a gratifying wrap-up. (Apr.)