High hopes, good execution, but not my cuppa

Murder in Rat Alley
Mark De Castrique

I enjoyed this a good bit, but it somehow lacked that little extra spark that would have made me rave about it. The detection was right on target--the detective (private) was smart, human, and even a little amusing. The only whoppingly huge coincidence occurred near the end and helped the book propel to an exciting finish. I don't blame the author for introducing it, but I couldn't help roll my eyes and say, oh, right.

The cover makes a point of mentioning the detective and his partner's interracial partnership, but I don't remember it coming up in the book. Which is fine. The detective's prosthetic leg does come up, and it gave the character a welcome bit of humanity. I would say comic relief, but it's not polite to laugh at disability.