cover image Murder Off the Glass

Murder Off the Glass

Michael J. Katz. Walker & Company, $16.95 (218pp) ISBN 978-0-8027-5667-1

In the third quarter of a basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and the bottom-dwelling Chicago Flames, the stadium lights suddenly go out, then flick back on. WCGO radio play-by-play announcer Andy Sussman turns to ""color man'' Lester Beldon only to discover that he's been shot. The Chicago cops decide, on scant evidence, that Andy is a likely suspect. WCGO's dim-witted and pusillanimous managers believe the cops and fire Andy, whose future suddenly looks bleak. He enlists the help of an old college classmateMurray Glick, a seedy private eye who's trying to build up a carriage trade and isn't eager to get involvedand Susie Ettenger, a sharp and very pretty lawyer. Andy is in love with Susie, but the feeling doesn't seem mutual. How this trio solves the case adds up to a highly entertaining tale. Katz displays a flair for witty dialogue and for funny characters as well. Basketball may be an unusual milieu for a detective story, but the tale rings true. (March 31)