G
rimwood, best known for his alternate-history Arabesk trilogy (Effendi
, etc.), manages a new wrinkle on a classic noir plot line with this intriguing paranormal mystery. San Francisco police sergeant Bobby Zha refuses to accept the department's conclusion that Natalie Persikov, a young Russian girl who has no familiarity with firearms, managed to kill an intruder, but he himself is gunned down in a sordid back alley before he can prove Persikov's innocence. After experiencing a mystical vision of a nine-tailed white fox, Zha regains consciousness in another man's body, a continent away from everything he knows. Using his new identity, Zha returns home in time to attend his own funeral and investigate his own murder. While the revelation of the killer is less than a surprise, Grimwood does sustain interest with a premise that could have fallen flat in lesser hands. (July)
