Brian M. Wiprud Crooked

Crooked

Brian M. Wiprud

Dell, July 2006, $6.99, 320 pp.

ISBN 0440243122

Taxidermist Garth Carson has a charming scoundrel for a brother but at least for now Nicholas Palihnic is working on to right side of the law as Newcastle Insurance hires him to find a stolen Moolrman painting. A man calls him stating he wants the painting returned to the proper owner. When Nicholas goes to informant's apartment, he finds the painting stolen from the thief and the man murdered. When the police arrive, Nicholas is arrested but a high powered lawyer that he didn't call gets the charges dropped.

He finds out Nicasia, who also works for Trident helped get him out of jail because the head ofthe Manhattan investigative unit wants something in return. The love of her life, Barney Swires a former thief and collector was supposedly killed in the seas off Costa Rica by pirates and his body eaten by a crocodile. She wants Nicholas to go to Costa Rica and find out what happened to Barney. However in the meantime, Barney is very much alive and staying in New York He was hired to dig up the ship the Bunker Hill that lies underground in Manhattan, which purportedly has a fortune in gold pellets on it. What happens next is a series of double triple and even quadruple crosses with all the players involved in the crimes distrusting one another.

Readers looking for a delightfully zany and totally charming crime caper to read that has characters who could be the hero, the villain or both; then look no further than Brian' M. Wiprud's latest work (see STUFFED and PIPSQUEAK), a totally charming serio-comedic thriller that constantly has the audience off guard as one shocking surprise follows another. Garth and his significant other Angie make a cameo appearance after starring in the two previous madcap tales.

Harriet Klausner