MASQUERADE IN BLUE
by D.C. Brod
In order to get a claustrophobic reporter friend out of jail (he refuses to divulge sources, etc.), rugged p.i. Quint McCauley (Error in Judgment, 1990; Murder in Store, 1989) agrees to meet the ``Blue Fox,'' and decide for himself whether the activist/environmentalist is guilty of the murder of real-estate developer Leonard Novotny. There were many, it seems, who wanted him dead, including his chilly wife; his alcoholic, banished (for undisclosed reasons) son; his crooked, blackmailing business partner; and most of the membership of SOW (Save Our Wetlands). Meanwhile, someone's putting snakes in Quint's car; a state senator is killed; the Blue Fox is framed again; and tales of Novotny family incest emerge. When the showdown comes, some mob types move in, the current Blue Fox disappears, and Quint learns the identity of the original ``Fox.'' Sturdy, carefully worked-out plot, with clever twists, believable motives, and a bittersweet romance between Quint and sometime-girlfriend Elaine.