Prey Dancing: 1a Dr. Clare Burtonall Mystery

The British author of the Lovejoy series gives the imaginative sleuthing pair of respected cardiologist, Clare Burtonall, with male prostitute, Bonn, an intriguing second outing following Different Women Dancing (1997). Clare's world is medical research: hospitals, stifling bureaucracy, an outwardly respectable but malign husband and the occasional paid-for tryst with Bonn. Bonn, the ex-seminary student turned ""goer"" (male prostitute) inhabits a world of ""uppers"" (female customers), ""pollen"" (illicit drugs) and much violence. A last act of kindness to a young drug addict dying of AIDS makes Clare the target of a psychotic criminal and thrusts her into an unfamiliar underworld she's unequipped to cope with. Enter Bonn, who moves through his deadly, highly organized but volatile milieu like a Candide--a part of it but largely untouched. Clare provides the grounding--a smart and decent, essentially conventional person--while the disarmingly nonchalant Bonn, living according to his own standards, is fawned and fought over by men and women alike. In edgy, slangy and original prose, Gash captures his quirky cast and unusual settings to create entertainment of the first rank. (Aug.)