Set-Up

Delilah West of Orange County, Calif., who appeared in the page-turner Hit and Run , has arrived; she now owns a detective agency, a new van with a telephone, and a condo. In this prime mystery, West's ever-growing list of clients expands to include political activist Bobbi Calder. Calder is accused of killing her young protegee, Sandy Renkowski, days after the two had a violent argument. Convinced that Calder is being framed, West turns up some suspects of her own, among them, a crooked politician whose scams Renkowski was covertly investigating and Renkowski's anonymous lover, who might have a pathological need for privacy. The number of suspects changes sharply when someone nearly kills West and succeeds in destroying her files on the case. Meanwhile, she uncovers crimes against the U.S. government that may put her in mortal danger. She also learns that her upper-income comforts have a very high price tag. Readers may guess whodunit and why early on, but O'Callaghan's polish and her eye for detail amply entertain in themselves. (Nov.)