Play Melancholy Baby

This murder mystery set in California is very much a product of that state. Not only does someone die in a hot tub but the plot is rooted in a quirky family history. The protagonist is a lounge singer named Casey Jones who is still licking his wounds five years after a great adventure (busting a heroin ring) and a great lost love. He reluctantly takes a job as a private eye for a former singer, Dixie Bowen. The clues lead back to Casey's own past as he confronts again his adversary in the drug bust and meets his loveDixie's daughter. Now, though, he learns the truththat Dixie is his mother and his lover is actually his sister. This is as sentimental and pat as the teary '40s songs it often refers to, but lacks their memorable persuasiveness. (February)