Blond Cargo

Those fond of testosterone-laden 1970s men's action adventure novels will best appreciate TV writer and producer Lansing's middling sequel to 2012's The Devil's Necktie. NYPD officer turned L.A. PI Jack Bertolino must deal with the family and business repercussions of a recent case involving a drug cartel. Meanwhile, mobster Vincent Cardona hires Jack to find his missing daughter, Angelica, whose disappearance may be linked to the recent deaths of two similar-looking women in Southern California. Angelica, last seen in Club Martinique interacting with an ex-con, is being held hostage by a stereotypical Iraqi super-villain investor with powerful local and international connections. Readers should be prepared for heavy-handed storytelling, rape and torture scenes best left offstage, and grafted-on attempts to humanize the protagonist through interactions with his son and girlfriend. (Oct.)