South Village

In Hart’s lively third outing for occasional PI Ash McKenna (after City of Rose), Crusty Pete, a member of the rural Georgia commune South Bridge, is dead, killed when a rope bridge breaks under him. It looks like an accident, but Ash is not so sure. Preoccupied with his guilt over questionable past actions of his own and feeling that Pete’s death is none of his business anyway, he concentrates on cooking for the commune and preparing to flee as soon as his passport comes through. But events toss him about, bringing in a mysterious cipher, a vague conspiracy, another death, and a black-ops raid from the FBI. Well-realized and interesting characters range from ex-Marine Aesop, who knows everything, to Tibo, the founder of the commune, to Sunny and Moony, attractive ladies who run a little Skype sex business from their trailer. The story zigs and zags and then heads off in yet another direction, keeping one step ahead of the reader until it ends up in an unexpected but satisfying spot. Agent: Bree Ogden, D4EO Literary Agency (Oct.)