Sacrificial Offerings: A Leal and Hart Novel

Two unremarkable plot lines mar Black’s third Chicago police procedural featuring Sgt. Frank Leal and his partner, Olivia Hart (after 2009’s Hostile Takeovers). Leal lands a motel DOA, a strangulation victim who turns out to be has-been TV actor Dick Forest, best known for recreating the character of Casablanca’s Rick Blaine on a parody 1960s series. Meanwhile, concerns about a significant drop-off in money recovered during drug busts lead to Hart’s reassignment to the Tactical Unit so that she may identify the source of the suspected corruption. Those expecting Hart to struggle against police chauvinism may be disappointed that her attractiveness and time spent training for bodybuilding competitions serve as her defining features. The gruff Leal isn’t exactly Mr. Personality, and few readers will be caught up in guessing the true source of the problem within the Chicago PD. (Sept.)