`Blood of Angels' by Reed Arvin; `This Dame for Hire' by Sandra Scoppettone; `Murder of a Smart Cookie' by Denise Swanson.

Publication: South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service)

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COPYRIGHT 2005 South Florida Sun-Sentinal

Byline: Oline H. Cogdill

FACING THE MUSIC IN NASHVILLE

``Blood of Angels'' by Reed Arvin; HarperCollins ($16.95)

Reed Arvin takes the standard plot of a man wrongly accused of a crime and spins it into an absorbing tale of racism, xenophobia and politics.

The briskly paced ``Blood of Angels'' is augmented by realistic characters whose fervent beliefs shape their actions. Arvin's third novel centers on a death penalty case, but ``Blood of Angels'' is not a typical anti-capital punishment novel. While the pros and cons are aired, the plot focuses more on how the changing landscape of a city can bring out the worst _ and best _ in its residents.

Nashville has become a hub for immigrants. But a recent influx of Sudanese refugees has brought bitterness and hatred to the...

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