HUNTING FEAR

Hooper (Sense of Evil; Touching Evil; etc.) pits a team of psychic special agents against a diabolical serial killer in the first installment of her new Fear trilogy. Kidnapping would-be victims in Golden, N.C., the murderer sets up a torturous ending for them and then dares the lawmen to arrive in time for a last-second rescue. The primary agent assigned to stop the carnage is Lucas Jordan, who leads the investigation with a unique team of clairvoyant agents. He also gets a significant assist from Samantha Burke, a former lover who ends up on the case when she arrives in Golden working as a sideshow psychic for a traveling carnival. The initial chapters are rather boilerplate as Hooper focuses on the team's futile efforts to save local victims, but the action picks up when the murders turn personal and the kidnapper abducts a cop and then drowns her in a glass tank. His next would-be victim is Golden's sheriff. At the novel's climax, Jordan must get past his emotions to access his own psychic talent when the kidnapper turns his gaze on Samantha Burke. Hooper does a nice job of keeping the psychic material credible, and the murderer's constant shifts in methodology provide a welcome series of surprising plot twists. This is a solid entry in the annals of paranormal crime-solving. Agent, Eileen Fallon. (Aug.)