Mr Blank

The smart-aleck narrator of this sassy crime caper is an agent who uses so many aliases for his work in the information underground that his real name is never certain. When he%E2%80%99s nearly killed by someone wielding a stolen moon rock bolted to the chain that bound Joan of Arc to the stake, he has to puzzle out which of the numerous secret societies he works for wants him dead. Then he crosses paths with Mina Duplessis, a fashion model who%E2%80%99s also dodging assassins, and soon the two are leading Knights Templar, little green men, Russian gangsters, a cult of anorexics, and various cryptids on a merry chase across Los Angeles. Though the large cast of characters and subplots within subplots sometimes makes things confusing, Robinson (Undead on Arrival) keeps the action fast and the banter between characters light enough to carry the story over its occasional rough spots. (Oct.)