PROBABLE CAUSE, by Theresa Schwegel

(originally posted on November 5, 2006)

The best part of Schwegel's second novel is how unabashedly <i>male</i> it is, from the copspeak to rookie officer Ray Weiss's internal monologues to his occasional missteps and fumblings with women. Add a cauldron of hazing ritual, robbery gone wrong, family expectation and the possibility of redemption and the end result is a damn fine crime novel - one that builds up hopes of even greater work from the Edgar-winning author.