Pink Vodka Blues

Barrett's ( The Hereafter Gang ) mystery about a lost weekend hits the ground running and never lets up. Russell Murray, alcoholic editor of a Chicago literary magazine, agrees to carry a manuscript in a briefcase from Chicago to Dallas and back. Days later, he wakes up in a Chicago hotel room just before two thugs come in and shoot the unknown woman in bed with him; he escapes, finds some booze and winds up in a Wisconsin detox center. After calling a reporter friend at the Chicago Tribune and learning he's wanted for murder, Murray escapes with fellow rehab inmate Sherry Lou Winn, the most irresistible partner in crime since Bonnie. Following the trail of a locker key from O'Hare Airport to Dallas as the body count climbs, they discover they're caught in a squeeze between the New York and Chicago mobs, with the reporter their only lifeline. A double-crossing FBI agent, a 70-year-old, Uzi-toting hit lady and sundry sordid characters follow the pair to Miami and back to the Windy City before a shocking revelation of the briefcase's true contents leads to a breathless conclusion in a parking-lot shootout. Sharp, irreverent humor and nonstop action make this a sure-fire winner. (July)