L. A. Snitch

This rapid-fire procedural by the author of Special Circumstances kicks off with a scene of unusual depravity when a paid assassin ravishes, kills and robs his employer. The police soon suspect that the villain is rogue cop Vincent Romero, and Ben Green, a special investigator for the Los Angeles Police Department, is put on the case by Francis Powell, the clever, politically ambitious police chief and an old friend of Green's. Events are complicated by the grisly death of Arnie Rosen, a pathetic ex-mobster turned FBI informant who blows his Witness Protection Program cover by appearing on TV after he wins the state lottery; Jonathan Racine, an ex-con turned antique-book dealer who may have killed Rosen; and Darnell LeGardy, a murderous member of a vicious teenage gang. Although the number of characters and subplots borders on the excessive, the author manages to tie most of the threads together, relying heavily on double dealing and hidden agendas to create both confusion and solutions. Despite these drawbacks, the author's deft portrayals of underworld types and his action-packed writing make this tale of L.A.'s seedy side compulsively readable. (Aug.)