SIDESWIPE by Charles Willeford (Dell: $4.99;...

SIDESWIPE by Charles Willeford (Dell: $4.99; 310 pp.). “Sideswipe” doesn’t challenge the reader to track a hidden criminal, as conventional mysteries do. Instead, Charles Willeford traces the lives of three seemingly isolated characters: Hoke Moseley, a slovenly, burned-out Miami homicide detective; Stanley Sinkiewicz, a bored retiree; and Troy Louden, a seductively charming psychopath. This offbeat trio is drawn into a violent collision that pits loser against loser. Willeford excels at evoking the sticky heat of South Florida, where even crime feels effortful.