BLOND CARGO

An LA private eye repays a debt when he agrees to find a mobster’s missing daughter in Lansing’s (The Devil’s Necktie, 2012, etc.) second thriller to feature former NYPD detective Jack Bertolino.

Jack is reluctant to help gangster Vincent Cardona, but he owes him; Vincent helped the PI track down the man who nearly killed Jack’s son, Chris. Cardona’s daughter, Angelica, vanished weeks ago, and the news story of two blondes found dead has the mobster understandably perturbed—especially because they were close in age and had the same hair color as Angelica. Jack’s investigation leads him to suspect Raul Vargas, a drug-dealing convict whose politically connected father got him an early release from a 15-year prison sentence. Raul may be linked to an Iraqi gang smuggling drugs, guns and even women, but stopping the gang won’t be easy with Raul’s powerful associates—which include the governor, mayor and city council. At first, the novel nearly chokes on subplots, particularly because much of the character and story development is pre-existing: Jack pops Vicodin and Excedrin for chronic spinal pain from a ground zero injury; his ex-wife blames him for Chris’ near death; and the Mexican Mafia puts a contract on Jack’s life. But the main plot gradually dominates and delivers a scorching, suspenseful narrative, despite the fact readers know who’s behind the nefarious goings-on and where Angelica is being held captive. It surprises with sudden shootouts; a scene in which Jack’s almost caught while sneaking into an office at an Iraqi social club; and a video of Angelica cropping up on YouTube. Characters are sublimely complex. Mateo, for example, one of Jack’s operatives, once worked for a Colombian drug cartel and became (initially) a criminal informant to avoid jail. There’s not much female presence (Jack’s lover, Leslie Sager, a deputy DA, typically appears in sex scenes), but Angelica is definitely one of the book’s assets. She’s anything but a meek prisoner, attempting an escape and doing push-ups in her Plexiglas cage.

An unyielding pace, vigorous characters and explosive ending.