And Baby Will Fall

The latest of Lewin's excellent thrillers hurls the reader into swiftly unfolding events in Indianapolis, where energetic Adele Buffington reports an intruder in the social-service agency she heads. Sgt. Homer Proffitt, a new detective on the police force, investigates and becomes a possible rival for Buffington's affections with her longtime boyfriend, private-eye Albert Samson (star of the author's earlier novels but here playing a secondary, though vital, role). The plot thickens when the social worker hears that a young single mother, Donna East, has vanished with her five children. Reporting to the sergeant, Buffington is drawn deeper into a dangerous partnership with him, but, ultimately, she is left alone to face a sinister baby broker who kills to protect his ``business.'' The witty exchanges of wily Proffitt and faithful Samson provide welcome comic relief from the all-too-believable chain of events. The staunch heroine's caseworker colleagues lend extra dimension to this fast-paced adventure. Literary Guild, Mystery Guild selections. (June)