Wraith

Speculative fiction fans will welcome this cataclysmic thriller featuring zombies, disembodied psychics, and undead armies. Two days after disgraced Arlington, Va., police detective Matt Caidin comforts Laura Hart, a federal agent who's been seriously injured in a car crash, he receives a visit from a mysterious man called Caparelli, who identifies himself as an FBI special agent. Matt tells Caparelli that he ran into Laura at a cafe earlier in the evening, but the agent explains that he spoke to her ghost%E2%80%94she died the night of the accident. Caparelli, the director of Project Crosswind, orders Matt to find out from Laura's ghost the plans of Russian general Borodine, who, with his demon assassins, wields the power of the "einstone," a supernatural Nordic talisman. But Matt has to sort out some personal business first. The Reeves-Stevenses (Freefall) sharpen the pulp theatrics with deft characterization, rich atmosphere, and sly condemnations of present-day American culture. Agent: Mel Berger, William Morris Endeavor. (Apr.)