New in crime fiction: Michael Gruber, Elizabeth George, Robert Dugoni and Jon Talton

A group of blackbirds is called "a murder of crows." Ditto for "a sleuth of bears." So why not a murder of Pacific Northwest crime writers? Or a sleuth of them?

Previous literary thrillers, such as "The Forgery of Venus," prove Seattleite Michael Gruber has never been afraid of difficult topics like life, religion and the paranormal. His riveting "The Good Son" (Holt, 400 pp, $26) also tackles thorny questions; at the same time, it's arguably Gruber's most readily accessible novel yet, with contemplative interludes balanced by smart, swift action.

A group led by an eccentric psychologist, en route to a peace symposium in Pakistan, is kidnapped, but why? To find out, the psychologist uses her training to interpret dreams and gain their captors' trust. Meanwhile, her son — handily enough, an ex-Delta Ranger — vows to bring her home.

Gruber will read from and sign "The Good Son" at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Elliott Bay Book Company (206-624-6600 or www.el liottbaybook.com) and at noon Thursday (signing only) at Seattle Mystery Bookstore, (206-587-5737 or www.seattlemys tery.com).

"This Body of Death" (HarperCollins,672pp,$28.99) is the latest in Whidbey Islander Elizabeth George's captivating series about Scotland Yard's Thomas Lynley. The aristocratic and pensive detective, still mourning the loss of his pregnant wife, returns from compassionate leave to investigate a murdered woman found dumped in a London cemetery.

Don't be daunted by the book's size, which makes it suitable for use as a blunt weapon. George's books are fat-free despite their length, and the writer's insights into social and emotional issues make her work deeply rewarding.

Kirkland resident Robert Dugoni's "Bodily Harm" (Touchstone, 373 pp, $25), in bookstores May 25, finds hard-driving Seattle defense attorney David Sloane back on the job. On the heels of successfully prosecuting a pediatrician for a child's accidental death, Sloane gets a shock: A toy inventor comes forward to tell the lawyer he is responsible. And then the inventor disappears.

Dugoni's legal thriller spirals into a story involving an ex-CIA hit man who targets Sloane. Curiously, the book sags a bit as a result, but its lawyerly angles are compelling.

Bonus material: Dugoni's character lives in a cool waterfront house and hangs at Burien's Tin Room tavern.

Dugoni will appear at these area locations:

• Reading from "Bodily Harm" at 7 p.m. May 25 at Parkplace Books in Kirkland (425-828-6546 or www.parkplacebooks kirkland.com).

• Singing books at noon May 27 at Seattle Mystery Bookshop (206-587-5737 or www.seattle mystery.com).

• Reading at 4:30 p.m. May 27 at the Tin Room Bar & Grill, 923 S.W. 152nd St., Burien; free (206-242-8040 or www.tinroom bar.com).

• Reading at 7 p.m. June 29 at the Bellevue Regional Library (425-450-1765 or www.kcls.org/bellevue).

Jon Talton, a freelance financial columnist for The Seattle Times, moonlights as a mystery writer, and his "Deadline Man" (PoisonedPen,288pp.,$24.95) is a dandy, with a fleet plot, sure-footed prose, and thoughtful worries about the future of the newspaper business.

A financial columnist for a Seattle paper meets with a hedge-fund manager, who promptly nose-dives 20 stories from his office and nearly lands on top of the narrator. Meanwhile, the paper's on the verge of collapse, our unnamed writer is having some serious romantic problems, and the authorities start questioning him about the dead man's doings — it seems the hedge-fund guy had some sinister connections high up in government.

Talton will sign "Deadline Man" at noon Wednesday at Seattle Mystery Bookshop (206-587-5737, www.seattlemystery.com).

Seattle writer Adam Woog's column on crime fiction appears on the second Sunday of the month in The Seattle Times.