Almost Night

Susannah Cannon is the kind of millennial homicide detective who's comfortable pairing her Glock with gold earrings. This contemporary Looking for Mr. Goodbar set in Miami has Susannah and her mostly male cronies at the police department looking for a rapist/murderer. Since the body of the dead woman, Carla Reeves, shows evidence that the killer has had practice, investigators expect him to strike again, and they get to work on learning what kind of victims he may be targeting. His prey turn out to be lonely professional women who confuse sex with love; Susannah, fitting precisely in this category, may be next on the list. Prospero's affection for Miami is evident in her depiction of its history, the intricacies of its multicultural present and the sensual lushness of its nearby Everglades. But readers will unravel the killer's identity before Susannah does, and he has a glaring fault that undercuts his supposed diabolical cleverness. Still, Susannah is enjoyably complex company and carries enough emotional baggage to launch a series--a possibility alluded to in the denouement. Agent, Esmond Harmsworth. (Apr.)