As aces and jokers throughout the country gather in Atlanta for a crucial Democratic convention (Ace in the Hole: Wild Cards, 6, LJ 2/15/90 ), a private investigator and a vigilante in New York City stalk the elusive killer of the notorious joker known as Chrysalis. Continuing the saga of a modern world profoundly changed by the ''wild card virus,'' this novel blends fast-moving action/adventure with hardcore detective work in a story that, despite a tendency toward excessive violence and graphic sex, remains consistently intense and entertaining.