Mystery Notes

Shamus nominee Catherine Dain (Dead Man's Hand) examines the dark side of sunny Southern California in Follow the Murder: A Faith Cassidy Mystery, another breezy entry in her series featuring the cat-loving therapist and former actress. Faith doesn't take her client Natalie Thorson's urge to kill her ex-husband seriously, but when Natalie becomes the chief suspect in the stabbing death of Craig Thorson, Faith could be sued for not having warned the victim of the threat—which is all the more reason for the part-time sleuth to find the real killer. (Five Star, $25.95 244p ISBN 0-7862-4316-3)

Texas attorney Laurie Moore brings her 23 years of experience in law enforcement to her first crime novel, Constable's Run, in which Constable Jinx Porter must turn for help in his reelection bid to his girlfriend, Reserve Deputy Constable Raven. Meanwhile, Raven has her hands full dealing with a gypsy kingpin who's put a contract out on her in this tough, at times funny tale ("Is an AIDS test multiple choice?") of betrayal and revenge. (Five Star, $25.95 318p ISBN 0-7862-4641-3)

Police officer and short story writer Michael A. Black likewise brings authenticity to A Killing Frost: A Ron Shade Novel. A search for a missing fiancé, who turns up floating dead in a canal, leads Chicago PI Ron Shade into far more trouble than he bargained for in this assured debut in the classic hard-boiled tradition, which boasts blurbs from Sara Paretsky and Andrew Vachss. (Five Star, $24.95 256p ISBN 0-7862-4309-0)