The Language of Cannibals: A Mongo Mystery

In his latest bloodcurdling adventure, Dr. Robert Frederickson, known to fans as Mongo the dwarf detective, is investigating the purported drowning of an FBI agent in the small New York town of Cairn. Also in Cairn is Elysius Culhane, who harangues TV audiences in speeches upholding ultra-conservative values, and Jay Acton, writer of Culhane's anti-liberal material. Folksinger Mary Tree, a 1960s protester against the Vietnam war, is now head of a pacifist group, the Community of Conciliation. Local thugs paid by Culhane harass the pacifists, a situation that escalates into deadly attacks. Mongo's brother Garth comes to Cairn to side with him and Mary's allies, against dismaying odds. Chesbro generates genuine suspense with the question of how, not if, his little hero with the giant's heart will triumph. (Apr.)