Witness to the Truth

In this debut novel, FBI agent Lindsay puts the heat on the agency's bosses in a no-holds-barred romp through high-crime Detroit. Special agent Mike Devlin sidesteps Bureau policy--as usual--by singlehandedly nailing a fugitive killer. Enraged at missing a photo-op (and a chance for quick career advancement), Devlin's superiors ``reward'' him with night-shift wiretap duty plus the burden of training a new agent. Both punishments backfire: novice Edgar Livingston, a black man straight from Devlin's mold, proves an instant ally against the self-serving bureaucrats; and the wiretap on the Pantatelli family reveals that an agent is selling the FBI's Detroit snitch list to the Mafia. When the bosses further enrage Devlin by refusing to declare one of their own agent's daughters as missing (for fear of bad press), he gathers a team of agents whom he and Livingston can trust to nail the Mafia contact and trace the missing girl. Lindsay's riotous style fuels a hard-driving narrative, and his insider knowledge gives the quirky plot twists welcome credibility. He manages to skewer stuffed-shirt bureaucrats while shining the badge of the dedicated agent right up to the perfect ending. Major ad/promo; film rights to Hollywood Pictures; author tour. (Oct.)