Winter of the Wolf Moon (Alex McKnight Series)
by Steve Hamilton
...reluctant private investigator Alex McKnight desperately searches for a missing Native American woman, a suitcase loaded with something that's valuable to someone, and a hockey-playing goon who may (or may not) hold the key to the bloody trail that seems to be inching closer and closer to McKnight and his "partner" Purdell.
Oof! Burned through this in a day... and NOW I have to wait for the third to come from the library. Good story, good action, and lots of interesting twists. These remind me of Dick Francis stories, considering the dramatic and painful ways the hero manages to get beat up.