The Adept 1

When a wizard's sword is stolen from a museum in present-day Scotland, FBI psychiatrist Sir Adam Sinclair is sure that the crime represents something serious. Through a mutual acquaintance, he meets and befriends Peregrine Lovat, a troubled painter who is able to ``see'' the past and future lives of his subjects. Sir Adam himself is the latest incarnation of the Adept, a spiritual force that battles evil, and he and Peregrine make a perfect team as they set out to discover who stole the sword --and why a 12th-century grave has been unearthed, freeing the revived corpse of Scotland's most noted magician, who then pk wanders into a barpage 127 in the dead of night. The sleuths determine that an evil cult seeks the magician's spell-book and hidden gold. Peregrine draws what he ``sees,'' whether it's the location of the sword or the cult gathered at the graveside. Sir Adam's own mystical powers bring him close to the cult, but closer to mortal and spiritual danger. This is a fast-moving and suspenseful tale by an unusually adroit duo, and the open ending promises more in the future. Kurtz is the author of the Deryni series, and Harris's work includes Spiral of Fire. (Mar.)