EARL W. EMERSON – Nervous Laughter. PI Thomas Black #3. Avon, paperback original; 1st printing, January 1986.

   PI Thomas Black is in danger of falling in love with his client in this case, a woman whose husband is accused of killing a young girl he was sleeping with, then shooting himself. The nervous laughter in the title is hers (see page 86).

   Emerson has s smooth, readable writing style that starts the book off well, but the story is all on the surface. Black takes a lot of physical abuse in this book, but as a substitute for twists and turns of the plot, it’s not really very satisfying.

The Thomas Black series —

1. The Rainy City (1985)
2. Poverty Bay (1985)
3. Nervous Laughter (1985)
4. Fat Tuesday (1987)
5. Deviant Behavior (1988)
6. Yellow Dog Party (1991)
7. The Portland Laugher (1994)
8. The Vanishing Smile (1995)
9. The Million-Dollar Tattoo (1996)
10. Deception Pass (1997)
11. Catfish Cafe (1998)
12. Cape Disappointment (2009)
13. Monica’s Sister (2013)
14. Two Miles of Darkness (2015)
15. Jackson Street (2018)