THE QUALITY OF THE INFORMANT

More gritty cops-and-robbers action from the author of Money Men/One Shot Deal and To Live and Die in L.A.--with, as usual, chapters alternating between the bad-guyr, a US Treasury Agent (T-man) based in L.A. This time Carr is on the trail of ruthless counterfeiter Paul LaMonica, an escapee from federal prison who's been spotted (and seduced) by barmaid Linda Gleason, one of Carr's top-quality informers. But though LaMonica is efficiently set up, even arrested and handcuffed by Carr and sidekick Kelly, the super-fiend quickly escapes yet again--and even more quickly takes lethal revenge on Linda. So it's back to square one for the T-men--tracking down LaMonica's known contacts, finding a cohort who (under major pressure) agrees to help trap the fugitive. Meanwhile, LaMonica, though hiding out in Mexico, is busily getting into two new scares--selling a fortune in counterfeit traveler's checks (he blithely murders his female accomplice), providing some ""funny money"" for a big drug-deal. And eventually, as usual in a Petievich outing, the low-lifes all die in a bloody shootout. Thin on character (Carr remains nearly faceless) but strong on seedy backgrounds, credible legwork, and terse violence: solid diversion for readers who want crime-and-punishment, not mystery.