The Man in the Moon

A temporary assignment from the FBI leads Los Angeles bail bondsman Charlie Tone into the throes of a singularly evil plot in this sophisticated debut. After his friend and client Joe Torelliok?yes is killed, Charlie is hired by FBI agent Phil Peterson to find ``wire man'' Eddie Mikenas, another friend of the victim. Trailing him to Washington, D.C., Charlie finds Eddie's sister murdered and spots the killer sneaking out of her flat. After a top-notch chase Charlie shoots the man dead and then sees it's Peterson. As a further tip puts Charlie on the trail of a mysterious Venezuelan, Norwood gradually puts the reader on to a plan to subvert the FBI at the highest levels. All the elements of a fine mystery, including a strong, surprising ending, are present. Norwood's villains are hard to forget, and Charlie, like all the players, has more dimension than is standard for the genre. (Dec.)