I'll Be Leaving You Always: A Lauren Laurano Mystery

Scoppettone's familiarity with the streets and shops of Manhattan's West Village lends authenticity to this captivating, forceful mystery, the second to feature PI Lauren Laurano. Not just a crime story, this skillfully characterized portrait of the lesbian relationship Lauren has shared for 12 years also demonstrates how lies and conflicts strain friendships. When Lauren's childhood confidante and close friend, a jewelry-store owner named Megan Harbruth, is shot, Lauren refuses to let police pursue the case on their own. Lauren's investigations make her feel disillusioned and betrayed: however, Megan apparently hid many secrets, from an affair with a married man to involvement in a local scam that provided her with thousands of dollars. Scoppettone ( Everything You Have Is Mine ) explores the issue of trust in several subplots, as Lauren withholds information from a policeman she knows well and watches as another friend conceals a cocaine addiction from his lover. A cliched and slightly rushed resolution--the perp, cornered, admits to everything with villainous gusto--only slightly flaws this substantial and satisfying novel. (Nov.)