The fact that Rada is more than a little seedy and drinks too much is simply a reflection of his frustration with reality, and not a departure from his core values. In Rada, Mazel has skillfully created a very complex character.

New York is in the final weeks of a senatorial campaign and Delaney Lynch and her staff are comfortable but not complacent about her growing lead in the polls. Her staff includes political science professor, Dr. Katharine Raines and spin-doctor, Frank Willis. and others.

Quickly the novel moves to Katherine appearing at Rada's very humble apartment/office. She wants him to find Susan Blake, one of her graduate assistants who has been missing for three weeks. Rada begins his search only to find that Susan is an art student and clearly not Katherine's graduate assistant. Rada locates her aunt and uncle, which leads him to an address far removed from her college housing. When he arrives, he finds her bloody, mutilated remains.

Now Katherine increases the ante – she asks Rada to solve the murder. Veteran mystery readers may see the plot coming and marvel at Rada's luck in following clues that are also available to the police but are apparently ignored.

This is a well-written novel; the syntax is gifted and the dialogue is crisp and often witty. And with humility I will admit that I went scurrying to the dictionary a couple times, something I haven't done since Foucault's Pendulum.

Readers may observe that every contact by Rada advances his investigation by giant steps. He then embellishes these with great leaps of logic, drawing inferences from inferences rather than from facts. But if this don't bother you, then Murderously Incorrect is certainly worth a read.

--Thea Davis