Squeeze Play

When Joe Sasso and his attorney, Sonny Culp, are brutally murdered, Joe's brother, Nick, and Sonny's ex-wife, Billie, join forces to catch a killer in the town of San Francisco where they encounter a bitter homicide detective, a corrupt politician, a very determined hitman, and a clever prostitute. Reprint.

Nick Sasso left San Francisco in disgrace, but in this coming of age story disguised as a thriller, he returns to confront his demons, redeem his past, face his dying father, and discover who gunned down his brother. Joe Sasso was the solid, responsible man who took over the family business and then risked everything in a get-rich-quick scheme involving some of the city's most prominent lawyers and politicians. Charged by his father with clearing the Sasso name and restoring the family's honor, confused by his feelings for Billie Fox, whose ex-husband was murdered along with Joe, Nick finds himself squarely in the gun sights of the same Russian hit man suspected of killing Joe and Sonny. The plot is more complicated than it needs to be, and some of the minor characters are more interesting than the protagonist--especially the aging Russian hit man and his enthusiastic young protégé--but by the time the narrative thunders to its dramatic conclusion and Nick finally manages to grow up, most readers won't quibble. --Jane Adams