The Man Who Liked to Look at Himself

Constantine's second (if I have my facts straight) Mario Balzic mystery, _The Man Who Liked To Look At Himself_ is as good as his debut.Like _The Rocksburg Railway Murders_, this book centers about Balzic, the chief of police in a small Pennsylvania town. Parts of a body are found on farms which are leased as hunting lands by a local hunting club. It's not long before Balzic has figured out the identity of the victim, but pinning the murder on the killer is another matter. Again, sharp attention to detail and a good appreciation for local color make Constantine's writing so special. He really gets the small town cop character right. Or, at least, I think he does. It sure has the ring of truth. Characters such as the defense attorney Mo Valcanas reappear in this book. They're certainly welcome; Balzic isn't the only interesting character from the first novel. I'm hoping for a reappearance of the priest character from the railway murders novel. The priest was my favorite character, aside from Mario, in the debut. I don't recall the priest having any role in this book.The title seems unrelated to the story, until late in the novel, when it's presented by Balzic himself in a clever turn of the plot.All in all, this is a good small-town police-chief murder mystery.