KARAOKE RAP

Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart. Very Good. 1997. Uncorrected Proof. Spiral bound. 0771034032 . Trade PB; Willows and Parker mystery ; 358 pages; ARC Uncorrected galley proof, small stain on title page. Trade paper with clear plastic front cover. Willows and Parker are back in this Vancouver based mystery. Ozzie believes he’s planned the perfect crime. Wealthy stock promoter Harold Wismer is having an affair with a woman named Melanie Martel. Ozzie and his buddy Dean will kidnap Harold as he leaves Melanie’s apartment, and then demand a five-million-dollar ransom from Harold’s loving wife, Joan. Harold is famous locally for his loud mouth, endless cigars, and banana-yellow suits. He can easily afford five million. The original Trampoline Man, he’s suffered numerous multi-million-dollar losses playing the market, and always bounced back.This is Ozzie’s second attempt at snatching a wealthy promoter. His first time out was a disaster – especially for his victim. Ozzie views the first kidnapping as a high-intensity learning experience. He’s a quick study. This time he’ll get it right. Or so he thinks.Unfortunately Ozzie is unaware that ancient-but-still-sharp-toothed mobster Jake Cappalletti also has a lively pecuniary interest in Harold. Ozzie’s young and quick. But Jake is old, and methodical.Vancouver police detectives Jack Willows and Claire Parker are assigned the task of investigating Harold’s sudden and violent disappearance. Willows balks. His son, Sean, has been critically wounded in a convenience-store holdup, and Willows, distraught, doesn’t want to abandon that case. But he is soon convinced that the two crimes are related, and the furiously paced hunt is on. .