And Then You Die

In this updated, watered-down version of the classic hard-boiled detective novel, ex-police officer Martin ( The Flip Side of Life ) offers the third adventure of Cleveland PI Gil Disbro. Wealthy Cleveland resident Boyd Lassiter hires Disbro to find his wife Renee, who is missing from the Nevada dude ranch where she was establishing residency prior to filing for divorce. After he learns that Renee is flying back to Cleveland, Disbro meets her plane and observes her leaving unwillingly with some mobsters he recognizes. He follows their car, frees her and takes her to the Lassiter home, where they discover that Boyd has been killed and his chauffeur is missing. Feeling honor-bound to stick with the case, Disbro determines to track down Boyd's killers and find out what kind of trouble Renee is in. Gil's wisecracks, his English professor girlfriend (who is 10 years older than he) and his views on her specialty, Thomas Hardy's novels, add trendy touches to a tired formula. ( June )