In Brawer's latest (after 2001's Diamonds Are for Stealing), a dull and tawdry crime tale incongruously dedicated to "carousel lovers everywhere," ex-storeowner Russ Gerrard comes to run-down Sea Gate, N.J., to pursue a long and plodding investigation aimed at clearing his mob-connected brother-in-law of a murder rap. Defendant Morty Sinclair, who's made few friends with his "property flipping" (buying cheap and selling high), is now accused of bumping off a crooked building inspector. Clichéd dialogue and a stereotyped cast fail to excite much interest, even with the predictable secret love affairs that complicate Russ's own lonely life as a widower. Graft and fraud extend to the mayor's plan to buy the Sinclair family's prize-winning carousel, a plot opposed by local merry-go-round purists, one of whom has clearly become mentally unglued. As Russ makes his rounds among payroll-padding contractors, sleazy bar owners, cops on the take and other examples of Sea Gate's lowlife, one yearns for resolution, which finally comes in the form of several maudlin confessions blurted out near the end of his quest—though some questions, like the truth behind Russ's wife's sudden demise, remain unanswered. (POD)
