SAMEDI’S KNAPSACK

Needing some warmth after three years of dank, dreary London, Mitch Roberts—part-time p.i., part-time horse-trainer, full-time melancholic—tells his long-term love, Amanda, “I’ll never forget you,” and heads for Florida, where it’s not just warm, it’s hot enough to blister. Which is how things get for Mitch in a Miami minute. No sooner does he deplane but he’s mugged, losing his driver’s license, the $1,200 in his wallet, his lone credit card, and his precarious sense of well-being. But the temperature keeps rising. Bobby Hilliard, the “old friend” Mitch calls on in time of need, lives in a mansion and leads a life of well-heeled respectability, purporting to be a successful art dealer. He’s ready to lend Mitch the $200 required to finance the rest of his journey to Mitch’s native Colorado. All he asks is a small favor in return. And that’s how Mitch finds himself in Haiti buying paintings, contending with the Ton Tons, those thuggish government cops, and a violent political situation while trying to stay alive long enough to find out just what sorts of activities sphinx-like Bobby had in mind when he told him, “I open myself to the world’s possibilities.” With the help of a loyal guide and his latest lovely, he finally manages to get clued in.

Another competent hard-boiler from Dold (The Devil to Pay, 1999, etc.), though it does go a bit soft in the middle.