Bird Dog

Fans of Carl Hiaasen, take note: this easygoing, likable debut does for lowlife L.A. what Hiaasen does for Florida--turns it into a seriocomic carnival of suspense, complete with hard-luck heroes, gorgeous dames and a body in the trunk. Harold Dodge, whom beautiful Marianna Perado approaches for help, is the aging author of a how-to book for car-buyers. Marianna wants to get her trade-in back from a dealer named Joe Corvo. Harold, one of Corvo's disgruntled (and overprincipled) former employees, is happy to give Marianna the benefit of his expertise; he even throws his heart into the bargain. But things get complicated when Marianna runs afoul of Corvo's new right-hand man, Vito Fiorre. She not only steals her car back but also makes off with Fiorre's briefcase, which contains Corvo's little black book, a record of his shady relationship with a supplier called LeBounty--who just happens to be flying in for a meeting. Reed spins out this tale as if he's been writing larks like this for years--his shifts in tone and point of view would make an old hand proud. And even though the plot has that Hiaasen feel (a simple, almost farcical beginning that grows slowly complicated, out-of-control and deadly), Reed goes places you don't expect. (May)