Johnny-Boy

Carter’s brutal yet satisfying fourth case for Delia Mariola (after Boomtown) brings the chief of detectives face-to-face with a misanthropic contract killer. Delia taps Blanche Weber, her best investigator on the police force in the rust belt town of Baxter, to help her solve the murder of a teenager who’s been tortured to death. As their inquiry takes them into the murky world of the local drug trade, the women contend with pushback from those in their conservative, economically depressed town who don’t appreciate two women sniffing around so boldly. Meanwhile, a hired gun named Johnny-Boy blows into Baxter for a job, then decides to do some Dexter-like housecleaning while he’s in town, taking out drug runners and two-bit mobsters on the side. As the bodies pile up, Delia and Blanche try to determine if the deaths are connected to the teenager’s murder. Carter toggles between the perspectives of Delia, Blanche, and Johnny-Boy, which provides welcome variety, but is occasionally jarring, especially when Johnny-Boy’s sections introduce sudden bursts of graphic violence. Still, thriller fans with strong stomachs will have a blast. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Assoc. (Oct.)