True Crime

An accomplished writer of both fiction and nonfiction, Mewshaw ( Playing Away ) again displays his storytelling talent in this tale about Thomas Heller Jr. a writer of ``true crime'' who specializes in murders that occur within families. A call from his brother, Buck, summons Tom from Italy to his hometown near Baltimore-- their father, an alcoholic whom Tom both loved and feared, has been hospitalized, the victim of a gunshot wound. While reminiscing in the old family home, Tom receives the dreaded call that his father has died. Turning his investigative skills to uncovering the identity and motive of the murderer, Tom becomes involved in another, possibly related murder case: the son and father of a woman he once loved are found dead, the woman herself suspected of the crimes. The result is a splendidly written, expertly plotted suspense thriller--alternately deeply touching and riotously funny, always a delight. (June)