The Last Gig

While there's nothing particularly original about Alessandra “Al” Martillo, Green's new hard-boiled PI, this series debut suggests she may have a long fictional life ahead of her. Al works as the assistant to Marty Stiles, a New York City ex-cop turned PI, who does a fair amount of repo work. The ante gets upped for both of them when Daniel “Mickey” Caughlan, a leading Irish mobster, hires Stiles to find out who's using his trucking company to move drugs. Al soon learns that another mystery surrounds the death of Caughlan's 20-year-old son, ostensibly from an overdose, just six months earlier. Green (Way Past Legal ) convincingly conveys the city's underbelly and keeps the action moving through various subplots, including a search for a sex tape that could destroy a pop diva's reputation. Some may quibble that the indestructible Al is a bit too larger-than-life, but she's well-rounded enough to help readers suspend disbelief at her surviving numerous violent encounters. (Jan.)