Colorado Boulevard: A Crush Novel

Sutton’s enjoyable third novel featuring macho L.A. bodyguard Caleb “Crush” Rush (after 2016’s Heart Attack and Vine) centers on the eccentric Zerbes, an old-money Pasadena family, whose patriarch, Emil, was once briefly married to Crush’s mother. The trouble begins when two kidnappers show up early one morning at the 12th-floor apartment that Crush shares with Emil’s son K.C., who’s under house arrest after serving time in prison for an unspecified crime. Crush, who considers K.C. a brother, arrives home just in time to grab one of the kidnappers, but not before his confederate gets away with K.C. in the building’s elevator. The captured man swears that K.C. hired them to kidnap him. To Crush, it’s obvious that K.C.’s twin, Noel, was responsible. Besides trying to deal with the zany brothers, Crush must also contend with their volatile sister, Angela, and the hoopla surrounding the Zerbes’ extravagant float for the Rose Parade, a celebration of California high-speed rail. Fans of comic capers will find plenty to like. Agent: Allison Cohen, Gersh Agency. (Dec.)