cover image I'll Be Watching You

I'll Be Watching You

Samuel M. Key. Jove Books, $4.99 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-515-11277-1

Key ( From a Whisper to a Scream ) is not only a skillful storyteller but also a chronicler of women's issues in this sensitive, if politically correct, thriller. The beautiful Rachel Sorensen thinks her violent ex-husband is the only man she has to fear; she hides from him in an apartment where she unaccountably leaves the living room drapes open . Observing her in the opposite tower is Harry Landon, a celebrity photographer whose private art involves photographing unknowing women through his telescopic lens. He follows Rachel around, murders her gun-toting ex-spouse and befriends her in the guise of a gay man. Harry believes he is ``protecting'' Rachel's beauty by bumping off anyone who appears to threaten it. When Harry admits being drawn to ``objective'' standards of beauty in women, Rachel responds with feminist polemics. ``Look,'' she says. ``Women who are unattractive by these standards become enslaved to the cosmetic and diet industries.'' Landon looks but he just doesn't see, and he attempts to kill again. Rachel becomes an executioner in an ending that practically shouts, ``Sisterhood is powerful.'' (Jan.)