Wild Thing

Carl Hiaasen fans will relish Bazell’s frenetic sequel to 2009’s Beat the Reaper. Professor Marmoset, the guardian angel who got retired mob hit man Pietro Brnwa into the federal witness protection program, sends him to Portland, Ore., on a highly unusual mission. There a reclusive billionaire referred to only as “Rec Bill” asks Brnwa to represent him on a monster hunt in White Lake, Minn., reputed to be home to a ferocious beast unknown to science. Acting as the referee to determine whether the White Lake monster really exists will be “a very high ranking Member of the U.S. Federal Government.” Brnwa hopes to use the large fee he’ll be paid as a substitute for Rec Bill to figure out a way to get permanently clear of his former cohorts in crime, who have him in their sights. Bazell expertly blends action, farce, and political satire, and his wide-ranging imagination bodes well for the future of the series. Agent: Markus Hoffman. (Feb.)