Mafiya

A reformed prostitute turns avenging angel in Stella's disappointing sixth crime novel, which does little new with this familiar theme. Agnes Lynn, a hooker who has put “the life” behind her, has left Las Vegas for a new start in New York City, but she's drawn back into the sordid underbelly of society after the disappearance of her best friend, Rachel Wilson, who turns tricks in order to afford private school for her children. After Wilson's mutilated corpse washes ashore in Brooklyn, Lynn embarks on a quest for vengeance against the Russian mobsters who arranged for her pal to perish in a snuff film commissioned by a wealthy Saudi weapons dealer. She's aided by her lover, former cop Jack Russo, who suspects that the Russians have help evading prosecution from inside law enforcement. Stella (Cheapskates ) doesn't display much ingenuity in crafting perils for the main figures, whose adversaries at one point leave Russo uncuffed and with access to a gun. Fans will hope for a return to form in the next book. (Mar.)