A Welcome Grave

Koryta's third Lincoln Perry novel is given a first-rate rendition by Scott Brick. Originally published in 2007, A Welcome Grave, like other titles in the series, chronicles an investigation that involves the private detective personally as well as professionally. Here, he's hired by his ex-fianc%C3%A9e to locate the estranged son of Alex Jefferson, her recently murdered husband, the same husband Perry once battered, leading to his dismissal from the Cleveland police force. Brick adds a shade of guilt to the detective's already downbeat first-person account. And when Perry is framed for murder by a pair of brilliant, homicidal (and sinister-voiced) villains, a tone of frustration and near hopelessness completes the well-performed vocal portrait. Brick is especially successful in voicing the supporting players, capturing the halting uncertainty of Perry's partner, Joe Pritchard, wounded in body and spirit from a previous adventure, and a hint of honor in the heavily accented, unemotional speech of Thor, a cold-blooded Russian mob enforcer who assists Perry in a time of need. A St. Martin's paperback. (Feb.)