MOM AND DEAD

Peaceful Wyler, Indiana—home to low-key, intuitive lawyer Andrew Broom (Savings and Loan, 1990, etc.)—is a hotbed of intrigue in this fourth outing. Unidentified sources are trying to buy up riverside land; divorced, womanizing super-mechanic Jack Parry is providing a conduit for drugs, while his young, genius- type son Tommy has discovered a bullet-pierced skull in woods near the river. Matters culminate in the murder of busybody Louise Long, Parry's one-time neighbor. Circumstantial evidence all but proves the guilt of much disliked farmer Jerome Blatz, but Andrew is convinced he's innocent and goes all out to nail the real culprit. The puzzle here—a bit of a jumble, with motivation largely ignored—takes second place to the author's grittily observed characters and his trenchant sideswipes at self-serving politicians and self-righteous promoters of causes. Crisply paced and mostly engrossing entertainment.