La Donna Detroit

Jackson continues to crank out one of the wildest and wittiest crime series going. This time out his hero, Detroit cop ""Fang"" Mulheisen, doesn't get a whole bunch to do till the last 50 pages. Before that we follow the Machiavellian moves of mobster Humphrey DiEbola (Jackson has a droll way with his character names). Humphrey's dark deeds stretch back to his childhood, and now he's trying to plan his retirement. For a made guy, retiring can sometimes require whacking most of his rivals and faking his own death. Humphrey gets help here from Helen Sedlacek, an old Mulheisen nemesis, who vanished with mob money in a previous adventure. Now she's back in action, with Humphrey unexpectedly friendly toward her, along with her hired-killer lover, Joe Service, who's currently in the shadowy employ of a government agency after recovering from a bullet-inspired coma. Of course, Joe's job still requires killing. Once Mulheisen surfaces, he winds up this vastly enjoyable caper with his usual high style. ""La Donna"" is the name of the quality cigar brand Helen is sellingDCuban tobacco rolled in the Motor City at a price even Mulheisen can appreciate. That Jackson spends a lot of narrative time backtracking is good news for new readers, if a shade irksome for older fans. With any luck he'll start producing mysteries more often. That would be great news for everyone. Agent, Bob Datilla. Phoenix Literary Agency. (June)