CAUGHT LOOKING

Alton Benjamin ""Rooster"" Franklin, Russell's sardonic answer to Westlake's Dortmunder, now heads for Kansas City with his visiting teenager, the ""rad"" Avery, in tow to discover who boosted the car of his girlfriend Carolyn's brother-in-law, virtually blind-as-a-bat ""high-heat"" pitcher Rowdy Monroe, whose glove was in the trunk. Along the way he picks up Bird, a juvenile incorrigible, possessor of a tape showing Rowdy and team groupie Dorothy Fleming in porno situations. Then Dorothy is murdered. Also Rowdy's personal trainer, whose brother is extremely sore about it. And damage control is being managed by slick agent Sammy Maxwell. Meanwhile, Rowdy's wife Marilyn seems to have stage-managed the car-and-glove theft for reasons of her own. What's going on? The denouement follows Rooster's blazing introduction to bullpen high-jinks, a gun to the head of Avery, and a perfect throw to center field by Bo Jackson. A must for baseball fans, as well as aficionados of the hard-boiled caper novel. Russell (Blind Spot, Hard Wire) is better than ever, and a writer to watch.