They fall hard

Gil Yates, nerdy gardening aficionado by day and suave but eccentric PI by night, meets up with an interesting cast of characters in the latest addition to this quirky series. Buddy Benson was once one of the best prizefighters of his time, and now, more than 30 years later, his illegitimate son, Richard Manley, who is himself dying of cancer, wants to resolve the mystery surrounding Buddy's last two fights and his suspicious death. The fact that Manley's funds are low doesn't stop the usually well-compensated Gil from taking the case, since he hopes to acquire as a contingency fee some property where his precious cycads could flourish. Investigating a 30-year-old death is never easy, let alone when it involves secretive Las Vegas cops, old Mob ties, and distinctly unfriendly members of the Nation of Islam. Boyle remains true to his peculiar form (think Carl Hiaasen in Southern California); in fact, the banter is so much fun one wishes Boyle would give Gil another 100 pages or so per outing. --Mary Frances Wilkens Copyright 2004 Booklist.