HIGHWAY 61

Rushmore McKenzie, the ex-cop turned millionaire (The Taking of Libbie, SD, 2010, etc.), likes doing favors for his friends, but with friends like Jason Truhler…

Having cracked a dream case and banked several million in reward money, McKenzie has now officially retired from the St. Paul, Minn., police. But for a hard-nosed, adrenaline-addicted, homicide cop like McKenzie, retirement is relative. Put it this way: McKenzie has certain well-honed skills; he has friends with certain dark-tinged problems; mesh the two and suddenly McKenzie is a very busy benefactor indeed. When Jason comes knocking at his door, however, McKenzie finds he must expand his view of friendship to include the occasional lowlife, someone undeniably untrustworthy. Erica, the entirely trustworthy 18-year-old daughter of both Jason and the woman McKenzie loves, has pleaded with McKenzie to help her dad, though she knows full well how undeserving he is. Jason, it seems, is being blackmailed, the victim in a con game as old as chicanery itself. Or maybe not, since Jason’s relationship with the truth is tenuous. One thing is certain: With friends like Jason, McKenzie can never be sure where his next enemy is coming from.

Edgar-winning Housewright won’t make converts with this installment, but McKenzie remains likable enough to entertain the fan base.