A Sensitive Case

Staff Inspector Charlie Salter of the Toronto police department makes his seventh appearance in this gem of a procedural. Teamed with Sergeant Mel Pickett, a widower nearing retirement, he takes over the investigation of the murder of Linda Thomas, a massage therapist with several influential--and nervous--clients. Dealing with an irate deputy provincial minister anxious that his involvement with the victim not become public knowledge, Slater and Picket develop a number of promising leads and learn the victim was nothing more than a legitimate masseuse. While the demands of Salter's career threaten his marriage, Pickett is tracked by a Brit punk rocker who could be a granddaughter resulting from a wartime dalliance. Wright's deftly realized walk-on characters, such as Pickett's blade-faced sister-in-law who is maneuvering to make her son his heir, contribute to this appealing mystery. (Apr.)