Man One

Detroit PI Amos Walker helps a woman escape her vengeful brother-in-law in the sterling latest installment of Estleman’s long-running series (after Smoke on the Water). Sage Holland, niece of Walker’s deceased lover, Iris, has driven from Alaska to Michigan to seek his help. After Sage was convicted of poisoning her husband, David, by slipping ricin into his dinner, the decision was overturned on appeal because the prosecution tampered with the jury. Despite the exoneration, David’s brother, Alaska cop Greg Holland, still holds Sage liable for David’s death. Greg has stalked Sage all the way to the Midwest, harassing her with threats of violence at every opportunity, and Sage begs Walker to make it stop. Walker agrees to see what he can do, and the stakes skyrocket when his investigation appears to lead to the murder of one of his informants. Estleman enhances the tight plot with characteristically excellent prose (Michigan is a place “where we measure our summers in hours and our winters in months”). This series shows no signs of wear and tear. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary. (Feb.)