Relentless

Set during cherry blossom time in Washington, D.C., Wilson’s solid debut introduces Det. Brian “Brick” Kavanagh and his partner, Ron Hayes. The two are called out in the early hours of the morning to the Tidal Basin, where they find a young woman’s naked body floating in the water. Brick knows that this murder, at the height of the D.C. tourist season, has the potential to make the powers-that-be nervous and add stress to his job. At the end of his shift, Brick stops at his favorite Irish bar, where the bartender asks him to check up on Jose Delgado, a trusted busboy who has missed several days of work. At Jose’s apartment, Brick finds the busboy murdered, as well as a possible link between Jose and the Tidal Basin victim. Mystery veterans won’t find much they haven’t seen before, though the villain’s unusual background is a plus. Wilson (the pen name for a playwright) has created a protagonist with the full complement of angst-inducing problems and an appealing white knight sense of decency. (Dec.)