The Devil's Red Nickel

There's a heightened sense of atmosphere but a problematic, convoluted plot in the sequel to Greer's likable debut, last year's The Devil's Hatband. This time out, African-American Denver-based bounty hunter CJ Floyd is hired by Clothilde Polk to find out what he can about the death, under questionable circumstances, of her father, a pioneering black music legend named Daddy Doo-Wop. The autopsy report that Floyd digs up says that Daddy, with a history of heart trouble, died of nicotine poisoning, probably due to the five nicotine patches that were found on his body. Greer lays out an excess of red herrings, in the process telling readers more than they'll want to know about some hospital procedures (in medical jargon) and urban monorail systems. Clothilde, who is hoping to establish her own music empire, believes her father was murdered for a bunch of old tapes recorded by blues legends before they got to be famous; she's pointing her finger at her stepbrother and his mother. Daddy left behind both male and female lovers and one, a sex-change recipient, harbors a deep dislike for the music mogul. An uneven pace results as Greer mixes short blasts of action with lumps of plodding explanation. The red nickels of the title and the presence of a psychotic simian-shaped mobster named Johnny Telano add to the fun, but both are marginal to the story. Floyd may have stepped a little off the plot track in his second appearance, but he--and his milieu--still deliver the goods. Author tour. (Mar.)