AND DID MURDER HIM

Another of the author's workmanlike procedurals dealing mostly with Glasgow's grungy underclass of petty thieves and drug addicts. Among them here are Shane Dodemaide and Eddie Wroe, who share squatters' quarters in a rotting, abandoned building—as well as the favors of an upper-class addict named Veronica. Now, Eddie has been found stabbed to death in an alleyway, a knife with Shane's fingerprints lying nearby. Aging Detective Ray Sussock (Condition Purple, 1989) is sure that Shane is their killer. But Detective- Inspector Fabian Donoghue finds some crucial flaws in the case against him and concentrates on the disappearance of Veronica—a rewarding avenue, as it turns out. Along the way, some minor cases are handily solved; there are also gritty, sometimes pathetic characters, plus a full complement of likable policemen, in a steadily interesting story. Sturdy fare for procedural fans.