Power Slide: A Darcy Lott Mystery

In Dunlap's subdued fourth mystery to feature San Francisco stunt double Darcy Lott (after 2009's Civil Twilight), Darcy's on-again/off-again boyfriend and fellow stuntman, Damon Guthrie, confesses part of a shameful secret about his past. Before revealing more, he asks the definitely alarmed Darcy to bring John, her cop brother, to a meeting at the Palace of the Fine Arts. En route to the meeting, Damon dies in a suspicious car accident, and once again Darcy turns sleuth. Darcy also resumes her overdue search for her brother, Mike, who's been missing for more than 20 years. As she nimbly juggles both investigations, Darcy's snooping puts her in the crosshairs of those responsible for Damon's murder. While Dunlap's appealing Zen detective retains her cool, some readers may find it hard to believe that the astute Darcy would date a man for six or seven years without knowing more about him than she does. A far-fetched subplot about collectible movie memorabilia adds some local color. (Aug.)