Dead Easy

Criminal lawyer Nehrbass, formerly commander of the Miami Police Organized Crime Bureau and a special agent of the FBI, turns in a shockingly realistic debut novel only occasionally marred by stiff prose . Floridian Robert Stockton's nightmare begins when a phone call to his office informs him that his wife, Jean, has been kidnapped and brutalized by psychotic--and none too bright--Donald Stanley and Mona Little, Stanley's prostitute girlfriend. Inspired by a TV - movie plot, Donnie leaves a treasure - hunt trail of notes to send Robert racing to deliver the ransom payoff--that same day--with stiff warnings not to contact the police. Frantic to comply, Rob is stymied to find the bank closed and is forced to call in the law. Agent Al Lawrence brings the FBI's formidable personnel and resources to bear on the case. Flustered when Rob doesn't follow his script, Donnie abandons Jean to a gruesome fate, only to be lured back into play by an FBI ruse. The agents' hunts in the isolated tree-farm areas southwest of Miami, their neatly handled cover-your-backside bickering, family dynamics and an unexpected move from Mona are touches that elevates this tale above the conventional psychological thriller. (Nov.)