Death Qualified: A Mystery of Chaos

Veteran writer Wilhelm ( Sweet, Sweet Poison ) has produced another intricate, many-layered novel, in equal parts murder mystery, science fiction, psychological study and consideration of legal ethics. Nell Kendricks is charged with murdering her estranged husband, Lucas, who disappeared years ago while working on a top-secret experiment attempting to use chaos theory to change the observer's perception of the universe. Now it appears that Lucas had spent the intervening years drugged and amnesiac, a handyman at the university where the studies had taken place. Attorney Barbara Holloway, who is ``death qualified'' (i.e., legally permitted to act in capital cases), agrees to defend Nell, despite having left the profession, disillusioned by its practices. Barbara decides the key to the case lies in the chaos project and the mysterious death of one of the researchers. Facing a politically motivated, hostile prosecutor, Barbara is helped by a young mathematician, who becomes her lover. Wilhelm sensitively depicts her characters and their relationships, creating an insightful study of what is and what might be, ending in thought-provoking ambiguity. (July)