When a doctor investigating fraud in a visiting New Age cult winds up dead, hotel detective Am Caulfield scours the premises for clues while struggling to keep a group of swingers under control, in the sequel to The Hotel Detective. From Publishers WeeklyThe hospitable Am Caulfield is beset by more hostility in this amusing sequel to The Hotel Detective. Now house detective at San Diego's Hotel California, Am is enduring new Japanese owners, staff peccadilloes, bizarre conventions and a murder or two. Dr. Kingsbury, a guest who has made a career of debunking fraudulent New Age mentalists?some of whom are attending a Union of Near Death Experiences Retreat at the hotel?has been poisoned. Am joins forces (and karma) with comely reporter Marisa Donnelly to dig into Kingsbury's less-than-estimable past. At the same time, the house dick struggles to keep the portly new manager, Hiroshi, from imposing Japanese efficiency on the hotel's eccentric ambience. East finally meets West after Hiroshi falls for Am's beloved station wagon, a surfer's woody that runs well only near the ocean, and the hotel detective and the fat innkeeper become allies in tracking the killer. Russell and his readers have great fun as he contrasts Californian and Japanese philosophies, and likable Am bumbles along, holding true to his ex-surfer's outlook on life. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalPhlegmatic Hotel California security director Am Caulfield resents the Japanese who purchased the historic oceanfront property and transformed his job. A beached whale in front of the hotel and a murder within exacerbate the already problematic communications between Caulfield and his Japanese boss. Life in the ritzy hotel cosmos continues, though, when Caulfield sabotages a swingers' "swap meat," digs into the background of the murder victim, and interrogates conventioneers who have had near-death experiences. The protagonist's banter, while not always humorous, remains light-handed, especially in scenes involving Japanese circumspection. From the author of The Forest Prime Evil (LJ 3/1/92); for larger collections.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

LAPD cop Michael Gideon and his police dog partner Sirius became reluctant celebrities after capturing a notorious serial killer in the midst of an inferno. For their heroism, they were chosen to head up the newly formed Special Cases Unit. Now the duo tackles out-of-the- ordinary cases, anything deemed unusual or bizarre even by Hollyweird standards. When a teenager is found crucified in a city park, Gideon and Sirius are handed the bizarre case. Confronting the gruesome tableau and having to work the case worsens Detective Gideon’s PTSD, a condition he has tried to hide from others. Gideon’s burns may have healed, but the fire haunts him still...in more ways than one. Eerily prescient since that terrible night of the fire, Gideon has unusual insights into the crimes he investigates, a skill he and Sirius must learn to trust as much as they do each other if they are to solve —and survive—this case.Review"One of the best writers in the mystery field today" - Publishers Weekly About the AuthorCritical acclaim has greeted Alan Russell’s novels from coast to coast. Publisher’s Weekly calls him, “One of the best writers in the mystery field today. The New York Times says, “He has a gift for dialogue,” while the Los Angeles Times calls him, “A crime fiction rara avis.” Russell’s ten novels have ranged from whodunits to comedic capers to suspense, and his works have been nominated for most of the major awards in crime fiction. His novels have garnered him a Critics’ Choice Award, The Lefty (awarded to the best humorous mystery of the year), and two San Diego Book Awards. A native and long-time resident of California, Alan Russell is a former college basketball player who these days barely can touch the rim. A proud father of three children, Russell is an avid gardener and cook, and fortunately is blessed with a spouse who doesn’t mind weeding or washing dishes. To find out more about Alan Russell please check out his website: www.alanrussell.net