The Goldfish Bowl

At first, the targets of Vancouver's serial killer seem totally unrelated, except for the engine of their deathsa Winchester 460 Magnum rifle. But one of the victims is detective David Atkinson, and that makes it very personal for the Vancouver police, and especially for Jack Willows and his new partner, Claire Parker, who take over the investigation, learning about each other as they try to track down the wily sniper. Gough's first novel is an absorbing psychological thriller. He has a sure sense of pace that generates and sustains tension, and a gift for authentic, gritty dialogue. He's persuasive in his description of the progressive dementia of the assassin, even though he unfairly withholds clues to the killer's identity, not granting even the astute reader a fair chance to use deductive powers. The solution to the puzzle arrives without preparation, but with enormous shock value. The final scene is nail-biting drama, closing an entertaining novel that augurs well for Gough's future in this genre. (February)