Lay It on the Line

Add another hard-nosed female detective to the list. This one's a lanky blonde named Freddie O'Neal who lives among the motels and casinos of Reno, Nev., pilots a small plane to Las Vegas when she needs to check leads, and subsists on a stomach-numbing diet of greasy burgers and instant coffee. She's also a loner who's capable of steely pragmatism but tentative about showing affection for those close to her. Freddie is hired by Joan Halliday, an ex-showgirl, to investigate the drug-dealing, neglectful caretakers of Joan's elderly father. However, when Joan's not-so-beloved sister is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run and Joan is named the prime suspect, Freddie must figure out if the crime was committed by the caretakers, by Joan or by Joan's father, who appears to be involved in a shady real-estate firm. Not surprisingly, another murder thickens the plot, the obligatory love interest temporarily turns Freddie's head, and Freddie's life is threatened. Overall, this formulaic debut is well written but unremarkable, weighted down with sketchy minor characters. (Sept.)