Corrupted Memory: A Tucker Mystery

Boston computer whiz Aloysius Tucker, the narrator of Ray’s compulsively readable sequel to 2014’s Terminated, finds his world falling apart after the body of a young man, who looks just like his dead father, turns up on his South End doorstep. Tucker subsequently learns that his father, who worked on secret government weapons projects, had a second, hidden family. Meanwhile, problems erupt on his mother’s side of the family, ranging from hurt feelings to compulsive hoarding. All Tucker wants to do is get to know high school biology teacher Lucy, his potential new girlfriend, but he soon finds himself knee-deep in the agendas of such people as an irate FBI agent, a Bible-quoting local cop, a sleazy spy for Iran, and a loan shark, plus others specializing in assorted types of violence. Against a meticulously detailed Boston background, the likable but undisciplined Tucker lurches from one crisis to the next. Agent: Eric Ruben, Ruben Agency. (June)