Angel Among Us

Readers may wonder how well Munger’s fourth Dead Detective mystery (after Angel of Darkness) would have worked without its paranormal gimmick. The ghost of Kevin Fahey, a deceased Delaware cop with an undistinguished personal and professional track record while alive, likes “to watch the glory that is the human body” at his former community’s elementary school playground, where one day he spots a pregnant Mexican preschool teacher, Arcelia Gallagher, who has “the face of an angel.” Fahey is shocked when his voyeurism reveals that all is not as it seems in Arcelia’s life, a discovery that precedes her disappearance. The police inquiry focuses on her husband, Danny, but since Danny’s father is the town’s mayor, the investigation is a sensitive one. Routine police work goes hand in hand with a plot that’s unlikely to appeal to those who weren’t already series fans. Agent: Jane Chelius, Jane Chelius Literary. (Dec.)