NIGHT WORK

New York: Bantam Books, 2000. Hardcover. Very Good/Near Fine. Best known for her historical mystery series featuring Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes, Edgar Award-winning King is also the author of a contemporary mystery series featuring lesbian San Francisco police detective Kate Martinelli. "Night Work" is the fourth novel in the Martinelli series with Kate and her partner, Al Hawken, assigned the murder of an airport baggage handler, knocked down with a stun gun, handcuffed and strangled. The handler's wife, who just left him for a women's shelter after repeated abuse, is the only suspect she has an airtight alibi. Then the first murder is followed by a second, a software salesman convicted of one rape, suspected of many more, also stunned, handcuffed, and strangled, and as a third victim is found, the detectives realize they are seeking a serial killer or, perhaps, a network of killers. About 6 1/4 x 9 1/4 inches, 339 pages bound in yellow paper-covered boards and a black backstrip with yellow lettering. King's initials stamped into front cover. Dustjacket's front panel shows pair of handcuffs against a yellow and green background with yellow and black lettering on panel and spine. Back panel contains six blurbs of praise for King's previous works. Boards show a touch of surface wear and slight spine lean. Top edge of text shows some very light foxing, o/w boards and text are clean, complete and unmarked; binding is tight. No bumped corners, no chipping, tearing or creasing. Not ex-library or remaindered. Dustjacket shows only a bit of surface and edge wear. Not price-clipped. A collectable copy.