Blood Relative: A Jacob Lomax Mystery

Shamus Award winner Allegretto ( The Dead of Winter ) perfectly paces his fourth Jacob Lomax mystery. Just back from a Mexico vacation, the Denver-based PI is hired by the defense in a murder case that seems like ``more than the violent end of a lover's quarrel.'' Still brooding over his wife's murder eight years before, Lomax feels burned out and wonders if the killing of Clare Butler represents his last case. Everyone in the Butler family appears to have a secret, especially the accused, Samuel Butler, husband of the victim, abusive father and founder of Butler Manufacturing. His children from his first marriage--Kenneth, a manager in the family firm; Karen, a vintage clothier; and Nicole, a painter--are also incriminated, along with their spouses and live-in lovers. The list of suspects soon expands further to include criminals from Clare's past, which involved prostitution and designer drugs. With action turning on creative bookkeeping, elusive employees, accidents and coincidences, the plot generates more twists than a corkscrew and will captivate readers all the way to its fireball ending. (May)