Perdition USA

Los Angeles-based African American private eye, Ivan Monk, returns for a second go-round (after Violent Spring) with racial, political and social activists as he tracks down a serial killer who targets young black men. The road takes Monk and his trusty .45 to Perdition, Ore.--a town that makes L.A.'s mean streets look like a nursery school. In Perdition, an explosive white supremacist rally is forming which earns Monk a nasty run-in with skinheads, and exposes a political assassination plot. Phillips's narrative zig-zags through points of view and scene changes with little or no warning, keeping the reader alert and often backpedaling in an attempt to stay on top of the action. A dizzying array of characters also confuses things a little, but the effort required to keep things straight is rewarded with hard-boiled detective adventure with plenty of raw energy. (July) FYI: Violent Spring will be an HBO Motion Picture starring Laurence Fishburne.