Hair of the Dog: A Dan Mahoney Mystery

Weak, inconsistent characterization mars Slater’s third Dan Mahoney mystery (after 2014’s Rollover), which takes the insurance investigator to Daytona Beach, Fla., after a racetrack fire leaves a man and five valuable greyhounds dead. When one of the allegedly dead dogs later wins a Miami race, Dan suspects fraud by the track’s co-owner, a high-powered woman whose deceased husband had Mafia ties. Meanwhile, Dan’s fiancée, Elaine Linden, decides to train as a PI. Her first client is Dan’s mother, who’s thinking of moving to Florida with a new flame, but wants the man checked out first. Elaine unearths a possible Mafia connection, while her new boss, an ex-FBI agent, investigates a mob money-laundering scheme. Their cases and Dan’s converge in an unlikely resolution hinging on a series of improbable coincidences and problematic chronology. The dogs add an endearing element, however, and readers will enjoy the behind-the-scenes look at greyhound racing and retired-greyhound adoption. (July)