A Barrow Boy's Cadenza

In British author Adams's madcap third Kind Hearts and Martinets mystery (after Irony in the Soul), Det. Chief Insp. Jack "Jane" Austin, a scarred, one-eyed military veteran with PTSD, gets pulled out of the harbor near the naval base in Portsmouth, England, with a bullet in his back. Meanwhile, the police must contend with a terrorist bombing and the murders of a high-ranking military officer and a prominent banker. Fortunately, Austin recovers in time to marshal a motley crew of MI5 colleagues and sundry friends to take effective countermeasures against a plot by big shots%E2%80%94military, corporate, and political%E2%80%94that would wreck the country for generations. Austin, who's given to malapropisms and drinking bouts, is supported figuratively and sometimes literally by his lover, Det. Supt. Amanda Bruce. Adams has disguised a serious plot in the trappings of burlesque. Fans of British slang, sangfroid, and humor will be satisfied. (Feb.)