In Title's uneven sequel to 2002's Killing Time, Boston prison superintendent Natalie "Nat" Price investigates the physical and emotional wreckage left by the brutal slashing of a transsexual, Dr. Lynn Ingram. Lynn's dicey past includes jail time for the "self-defense" killing of a prominent Boston attorney, a brief marriage back while she was a man and estrangement from her bigoted, suddenly wealthy parents. Title treats this potentially garish case with psychological empathy and restraint. A complex and seldom clichéd heroine, Nat operates in an original milieu, Horizon House, a prerelease facility. But the reader may feel like one of Nat's colleagues, who scolds her, "Fine for you to go latching on to one suspect after another." The plot takes more twists and turns than all the roller coasters in all the theme parks in Orlando, as the author brings in a suicidal addict threatening to jump from a ledge, a shady priest found hanged in his rectory, a kidnapped child, gunshots and even a kidnapped dog. Despite many convincingly rendered characters, settings verge on the formulaic—a townhouse is "posh," an Oriental rug "exquisite," a front parlor "elegant." Title keeps the reader guessing who's behind all the mayhem, but readers will hope she shows better control next time. (Aug. 4)
Forecast:Generic jacket art—blurry figures and a black-and-orange color scheme that irrelevantly evokes Halloween—won't help sales.
