Time Exposure — John Lutz

Private investigator Alo Nudger of St. Louis beguiles the reader again in the fifth of Lutz's droll, deftly plotted mysteries. Timid Nudger, determined to be a mensch, gives new meaning to fighting city hall on an assignment from Adelaide Lacy. Her sister Mary and Mary's boss, Virgil Hiller, are missing from their government posts, along with $500,000 in public funds. According to Adelaide, Mary and Virgil despised each other so much, they would only be found together outside the office if they were dead. Which is how Nudger believes he and Adelaide could wind up, as he picks up slim clues and dodges the armed stalker hired to mark the case closed. The author's talent for integrating horror and hilarity is irresistible, particularly in the dizzying finale. Such effects are also appreciated as Nudger tries to balance his amatory affairs: winning back his true love, Claudia, and escaping both his ex-wife's clamor for alimony and a foxy widow who wants him as a father for her many children.