New detective-author

LAPD anti-gang investigator Will Beall has sold Riverhead a pair of novels set in South Los Angeles — and Hollywood powerhouse CAA is marketing the film rights. LA Rex and The Lion Hunter "present a look at the life of the police and criminal cultures of this volatile city within a city," says Publishers Lunch Weekly. Detective Beall was mentioned once in a Times Column One story last year that chronicled the life of a Crip named Gizmo, but otherwise has kept a low media profile.