Nowhere Nice

Gavin’s madcap third crime novel featuring Nick Reid and his huge black friend, Desmond (after 2012’s Beluga), takes the pair far from their home turf of the Mississippi Delta. Guy Baptiste Boudrot, who stole Reid’s treasured 1969 Ford Ranchero in 2011’s Ranchero, has escaped from the notorious state penitentiary known as Parchman, where he was serving a 20-year sentence. Out for vengeance, Boudrot has a long hit list, and Reid and Desmond set out to warn others involved in putting away “that Boudrot,” as people often refer to the nasty lowlife, who soon kills a man for his car and slaughters a goat and some coon dogs. The trail leads from the Delta to Arkansas, to Vicksburg, Miss., and on to Tuscaloosa, Ala., with frequent fights and food stops, as well as increasing damage to Desmond’s beloved Ford Escalade. Gavin provides plenty of low-down laughs on the way to a final showdown with “that Boudrot.” Agent: Marian Young, Young Agency. (Nov.)