Ball Park

September 16, 2019
Set in 1975, Farrow’s solid seventh outing for Det. Émile Cinq-Mars (after 2017’s Perish the Day) partners Cinq-Mars, who has a reputation as a straight arrow, with Yves Giroux, who knows every unsavory scam a cop can fall prey to. When the pair investigate a robbery at the Montreal home of wealthy Howard Shapiro and his wife, they discover that among the stolen items was Shapiro’s prized baseball, autographed by Jackie Robinson, which proves to be the key to solving a murder and the catalyst for other deaths. After leaving the crime scene, Cinq-Mars and Giroux spot more police activity a few streets over. A young man has been shot to death in his car; on the back seat is some jewelry from the Shapiros’ house. Farrow counterpoints Cinq-Mars’s inquiry with the desperate and dangerous situation of the teenage thief, who’s the target of ruthless killers. Good interplay between the characters, each with a distinctive voice, keeps the tension high. Fans of character-driven police procedurals will be satisfied. Agents: Carolyn Forde and Bruce Westwood, Westwood Creative Artists (Canada).

September 15, 2019
Here's an interesting departure for followers of Farrow's always-rewarding series starring now-retired Montreal police detective �mile Cinq-Mars. First, the novel is a prequel, taking readers back to 1975 and Cinq-Mars' early days on the force. Second, the weather is fine, a radical departure for a series that, through the first four installments, has been at least partially defined by ice, snow, and rain. As the narrative begins, Cinq-Mars has just transferred from the notorious Night Patrol (known for its toughness and rule-breaking) to the homicide squad, and it doesn't appear the transition is going to be easy, especially since he's been partnered with Yves Giroux, another former member of the Night Patrol whose reputation goes beyond rule-breaking to corruption. Straddling both the Night Patrol and his new gig, Cinq Mars incurs the enmity of all when he investigates a case that begins with theft (at night) but extends to murder (in the daylight). The detective's taste for complexity is evident from the outset, as we watch Cinq-Mars teasing meaning from his encounters with a young thief, an elderly pawnbroker, and a Mob boss. A fine, character-rich mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)