A Silent Death

At the start of this unpleasant crime novel from May (I’ll Keep You Safe), Spanish police arrest fugitive drug trafficker Jack Cleland on the Costa del Sol after accidently shooting his pregnant girlfriend to death. Cleland blames one officer for the killing, Cristina Sánchez Pradell, and vows revenge, despite her indirect involvement. Scottish investigator John Mackenzie, a socially maladjusted quasi Sherlock Holmes, comes to Spain to transport Cleland to London for sentencing, but Cleland escapes in an attack on his armored transport vehicle. In addition to facilitating a massive drug deal, Cleland intends to make good on his threat to kill every member of Cristina’s family, including her blind and deaf aunt. In her limited role as scapegoat, Cristina has little room to prove her worth. That she allows Mackenzie’s instincts to inform her police work further diminishes her. May drains any dramatic anticipation he builds. This one’s only for the author’s diehard fans. (Mar.)