The Fight in the Dog -- Wayne Dundee

Joe Hannibal is back. For those of you who are already familiar with Wayne Dundee's work, those four words should be enough to send you looking for his new novel (published by Five Star). You already know that Dundee's books are the real thing, blue-collar hardboiled p.i. stories the way you like 'em. If you're not familiar with Dundee's work, it's time you found out about it. The Fight in the Dog is one of the few hardboiled books about dog fighting (Ray Ring's The Arizona Kiss is another don't-miss example), a "sport" that brings out the worst in certain kinds of people. The story begins with a gruesome scene, a result of a reporter's investigation of some local dognappings, and things get nastier from there. Joe Hannibal is a tough guy, all right, and he always does what he says he'll do, but this time it's an uphill fight, what with dog fighters, motorcycle gangs, and dead bodies piling up. Dundee doesn't flinch from the rough stuff, and the novels builds to the wrenching climax involving a kind of super pit bull. Check it out.