Different Women Dancing

Although there's no scalawag Lovejoy here, scheming, scamming and sleuthing his way through difficulties, readers will have no difficulty recognizing the work of the creator of the quirky, rapid-fire phrases that stud these pages like shards of colored glass. Gash, whose 19th Lovejoy mystery, The Possessions of a Lady (1996), was published last year, is in top form as he introduces Dr. Clare Burtonall, a physician unacquainted with crime or illicit sex until a fatal accident and a chance encounter introduce her to both. Clare witnesses a man get hit by a taxi. So does a male prostitute named Bonn. The victim's death will intrude on both their lives and lead to an unlikely collaboration as Clare's respectable life of doctoring and domesticity and Bonn's uncertain and violent existence are both threatened. Bonn, despite his occupation, is a kind of Candide, innocent and charismatic, a rising star in the underworld of sex for hire and the ""syndicate"" of which he is a part. Bonn's world is one of ""goers,"" ""standers,"" ""sliders,"" ""uppers,"" ""keys"" and ""punters""--the jargon is endless but explained. Clare's is one of hospital routines and reports and sharing her new husband's tales of gardening and real estate triumphs. Together they forge a relationship and a solution that relies not at all on the law and promises further entertainments to come. (June) FYI: Jonathan Gash is a pseudonym of John Grant, a medical doctor.