CINNAMON SKIN

Travis McGee's 20th—which finds him enjoying life on his Florida houseboat, trying to keep his affair with hotel-manager Anne Renzetti on an even keel. But then best friend Meyer's niece Norma dies violently—when she and her charming new husband Evan go for a honeymoon trip on Meyer's cruiser. . . which blows to smithereens. The question for McGee and Meyer: was Evan on board when the explosion hit? There's enough evidence to the contrary to send them on the trail into Evan's past—which involves pseudonyms, stripped bank accounts, unsolved disappearances, and a string of "accidental" deaths. Eventually, then, the sleuths wind up in upstate N.Y. with Evan's sister Helen June, a slatternly trailer-dweller surrounded by rust and junk. And her confessions lead McGee to Mexico, gorgeous Barbara Castillo (an indirect victim of the murderer), and a plan to trap the culprit. Surprises? Very few. But if MacDonald's formula varies little, the shrewd vignettes of places and people continue to be vividly engaging—and his masterly pacing ensures absorbing, taut reading every time around.