Choked Up

November 2, 2015
In Mack’s sprightly second Maisie McGrane mystery (after 2015’s Time’s Up), Maisie, who’s been working as a meter maid in Chicago, gets her wish to become a full-fledged police officer, only to be assigned to duty as an undercover agent posing as a meter maid. Target number one is a ring of automobile thieves, which Maisie manages to infiltrate, cozying up to its chieftain, Stannislav “The Bull” Renko. No ordinary car-grabbers, Renko and his gang specialize in high-end luxury cars and collectible models worth up to $1 million each. Renko, who’s seeking an attractive companion, decides that Maisie is perfect for the job. Meanwhile, Maisie has to hold her real boyfriend and her own large family of lawyers and cops at arm’s length. A wild whirl of plots and counterplots, the book offers occasional hot sex and equally occasional violence. Mouth-watering descriptions of lavish meals are a plus. Agent: Laura Bradford, Bradford Literary Agency.

January 1, 2016
Chicago meter maid Maisie McGrane really wants to be a police officer. Her prayers are answered when she is hired as an undercover operative for the Bureau of Organized Crime. Her task is to help take down Serbian mobster Stannislav Renko, who runs a huge chop shop. When someone attacks her and leaves a body on her car, Renko comes to her rescue. That complicates matters, as does Maisie's need to keep at bay both her large Irish family of overprotective cops and lawyers and her hunky boyfriend, a former army ranger. This action-packed but fairly light caper will please readers favoring strong, creative female sleuths.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)