Old Bones

Trudy Nan Boyce

Putnam, 352 pp., $27

This superlative second appearance of Atlanta cop Sarah "Salt" Alt is a big step up in every way since her debut in "Out of the Blues." Detective Alt and her fellow homicide cops are called to help quell riots after black students are shot by white suspects. Salt is also trying to solve the murder of a girl she's known since her patrol days, and balance a private life with a fellow cop. Boyce, a former Atlanta police officer, knowingly explores an officer's calling, as well as moral questions, while maintaining realistic dialogue and Atlanta scenes. Her writing has gotten smoother and more confident. Plus, there's a courtroom scene that alone is worth the price of admission. Grade: A

Rather Be the Devil

Ian Rankin

Little, Brown, 320 pp., $27

Edinburgh detective John Rebus may be officially retired, but he's hardly out of the loop. So when active colleagues Siobbhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox investigate the beating of a gangster, they ask Rebus to contact Big Ger Cafferty, a supposedly retired crime boss, with whom Rebus has had a love-hate relationship over the decades. All this gets tied into an old case of a murdered socialite. Rebus, while awaiting scary test results, is trying to stay healthy, but his ability to irritate everyone remains unchecked. This series, celebrating 30 years, is as fresh, funny and intense as it ever was. Grade: A

A Darkness Absolute

Kelley Armstrong

Minotaur, 416 pp., $25.95

The secret town of Rockton, hidden in the Yukon, is supposed to be a haven for those who need safety, a fresh start, or (if you have enough money) a place to hide out for a while. But when Detective Casey Duncan finds a woman in a cave hole who'd been a captive for over a year, it's just the start of the trouble. Bodies multiply, and so do possible suspects - after all, everyone has a backstory, including Casey and her lover, town Sheriff Eric Dalton. "Darkness," a sequel to "City of the Lost," doesn't spend much time explaining Casey's past, which is frustrating even for those who read the first book; and the novel would have been tighter if it lost about 50 pages. Still, there's a lot of action between the analytical talk fests, and you have to give points for originality. Grade: B

I See You

Clare Mackintosh

Berkley, 384 pp., $26

Zoe Walker is on her usual long London commute home one night when she sees a face in a personal ad for "Find the One." Problem: It's her own face, and she doesn't know anything about it. Worse problem: Other women whose faces appear become crime victims. Zoe, with the help of a cop, her friends and her almost-adult children, tries to determine what's going on, and if she's next. The story is told from alternating viewpoints, and the suspects switch faster than you can say "red herrings." Macintosh, author of the stunner "I Let You Go," has her same deft touch with believable characters. However, despite plenty of surprises, this one doesn't grab the reader as strongly. Grade: B

Ross is a critic in Atlanta.  

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