Chosen Parents

In a blend of surreal mystery and outright evil, this short novel unfolds a deadly game played by two gilded youth. They are a handsome brother and sister, adopted by wealthy parents to form the elements of a favored family unit, but raised emotionally defective. Lovers at first, then collaborators in each other's needs, Scott and Sandy Lamson, after the sudden death of their parents, set up their own nuclear family, hiring actors who will permanently play the roles of ""mother'' and ``father.'' Initially idyllic, the arrangement takes a nasty turn, even as a detective is pursuing Scott on charges he cruelly engineered the death of his parents. Arrighi (Alter Ego effectively creates the terror of the young people's realm of willed fantasy, their increasing instability and maintains suspense as their bizarre game moves them closer to the real world. (November 17)