Joel Ross’ page-turner of a debut novel, Double Cross Blind, opens in the early months of World War II, when the British intelligence services identified almost all of the Nazi agents operating in the United Kingdom and gave them the option of being executed or becoming double agents. Enough chose the latter that the British were able to deceive the Nazis in ways that significantly enhanced Allied military operations.

Into this world in which nothing is what it seems, Ross inserts several Americans. The protagonist, Tom Wall, has volunteered to serve with the Canadian Army and has been physically and psychologically traumatized by his experiences during the battle for Crete. At the center of that trauma is his belief that his brother, Earl, who is in the American diplomatic service, is a Nazi double agent who caused the death of most of Tom’s squadron on Crete. Further complicating the situation is the fact that Tom had been romantically involved with Harriet, Earl’s eventual wife, before Earl entered the picture. Add in a couple of eccentric Nazis, the unreal chaos of the Nazi Blitz against London and other British cities, and advance intelligence about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and the novel becomes a compellingly disorienting mix for the reader as well as for Tom Wall.

Double Cross Blind does exhibit some of the limitations of a first effort. The characters aren’t always quite as interesting as Ross seems to think they are, and the very gradual revelation of what is actually occurring may cause some readers to give up on the story prematurely. Still, Ross (whose editor is former Putnam bigwig Phyllis Grann, who groomed Patricia Cornwell and Robin Cook for bestsellerdom) is very good with detail and with choosing descriptive language that often seems perfectly suited to the person, place or situation and is unusually perceptive without being self-indulgently flamboyant. Even the murkiest events are imbued with a vivid immediacy. And that in itself is more than enough to carry the story. Martin Kich teaches English at Wright State University.

Best known for the hilarious Southern romp Handling Sin (just released in paperback), author Michael Malone has shown a unique ability to question what he calls the moral, political and social dimensions of the old South versus the new, while at the same time telling entertaining and well-crafted stories. After an absence of more than 10 years, Malone returns to the popular detective duo of Uncivil Seasons (1983) and Time’s Witness (1989). In First Lady, he has created another irresistible blend of mystery, romance, heartache and revenge in an appealing Southern setting. Hillston, North Carolina, home of Haver University, has been praised by both the governor and the press as being one of the safest small towns in the state. Hillston’s reputation and the reputations of the local police chief, Cuddy R. Mangum, and his best friend and chief of homicide, Lt. Justin Savile V, are called into question when a second nude female body is found mutilated in the woods outside of town. The killer leaves a body tag on each victim addressed to Justin and Cuddy, making the case a personal challenge. The mayor and the local press, attracted by the sensational nature of the murder, seem intent on impeding the progress of the case. The fact that the deputies in the local sheriff’s department act like the Keystone Kops at crime scenes doesn’t help matters. The sheriff’s office is also the cause of another headache for Cuddy. The only son of one of the town’s best families was arrested for shooting his pregnant wife on New Year’s, and the sheriff’s department tainted the evidence so badly that a not guilty verdict is inevitable. In desperation and frustration over the mounting bad press, Cuddy announces that he and his department will find the serial killer the press has dubbed Guess Who in a week or resign.

As with his previous detective novels, Malone has again created a cleverly constructed plot along with imperfect, nuanced characters. Justin, who drinks a bit too much, loves old things and considers the homogenization of his hometown a travesty, while Cuddy has been, and will always be, in love with the one woman he can’t have. Their banter is believable, smart and funny, filled with references to Colonel Sanders and other things uniquely Southern. Michael Malone’s return to this intrepid pair of detectives and their colorful small town life will delight armchair detectives everywhere. His characters, their relationships and the fictional town of Hillston charm long after the final page.

Pam Kingsbury lives and writes from her hometown of Florence, Alabama.

Kermit Roosevelt’s gripping first novel, In the Shadow of the Law, is entertaining and provocative, but caveat emptor it is not so much a conventional legal thriller as it is a passionate examination of the way the law works in America. It is also a compelling portrait of the men and women who practice law. Two cases set the stage for the novel. First, a married couple is found murdered in Virginia. After receiving an anonymous tip, police arrest Wayne Lee Harper, who promptly confesses. At trial, Harper is sentenced to death. With only weeks remaining before his execution, Harper now desperately needs pro bono representation for a final appeal. Second, there is a catastrophic explosion at Hubble Chemical in Texas. Dozens of workers are killed. Now, Hubble needs representation in a class-action lawsuit that threatens to destroy the company.

Several lawyers from the powerful D.C. firm Morgan Siler step up to meet the challenges of the two cases. Mark Clayton is fresh out of law school and questioning his career choice when he is thrust over his head into the Harper case. In the meantime, brilliant associate Walker Eliot keeps busy maintaining the pretense of working on the Harper case while doing as little as possible. In another Morgan Siler office, the incredibly successful litigator Harold Fineman leads the Hubble defense team, although he finds himself dangerously distracted by Katja Phillips, the attractive idealist assigned to assist him. Fineman and Phillips must also contend with Ryan Grady, a confused associate who is more concerned with women than with the law. A law professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a former Supreme Court law clerk, Roosevelt is a great-great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt. In the Shadow of the Law is clear and convincing evidence that he is also a powerful storyteller who knows how to craft an intricately plotted page-turner filled with intriguing characters. Tim Davis teaches literature at the University of West Florida in Pensacola.