A Little Too Much: A Jack Liffey Mystery

In Shannon's violent, anarchic 13th Jack Liffey mystery (after 2010's On the Nickel), the Los Angeles child finder has plenty to worry about. Jack's trouble-prone teenage daughter, Maeve, has left home for UCLA and an off-campus apartment, while he fears he's losing his live-in girlfriend, L.A. cop Gloria Ramirez, to investigator Sonny Theroux, a former friend of his, in Bakersfield. Meanwhile, when black movie star Tyrone Bird, a schizophrenic, goes off his meds, off the set, and on a search for his father, the studio hires Liffey to find Ty. The arrival of Colombian drug-runner Jhon Orteguaza ups the ante. Shannon's frequent point-of-view shifts can be disruptive, but he makes great use of the sordid history of the real-life Sandstone Retreat, the infamous home to free sex back in the '70s, as well as movie lore. The main characters—Liffey, Ramirez, and Maeve—continue to grow in depth and complexity. (Apr.)