cover image Blood

Blood

Joseph Glass. Simon & Schuster, $24 (400pp) ISBN 978-0-684-85963-7

Chicago psychiatrist/psychic Dr. Susan Shader returns in Glass's creepy thriller about a serial killer who abducts young women for the purpose of bizarre, apparently religious executions. Police detective David Gold again teams up with Shader to investigate the series of murders. The killer, dubbed the Undertaker for leaving his victims in body bags, repeats his MO scrupulously: all the women have deep cuts to their hands and feet, their stomachs are sliced open in the shape of an upside-down crucifix and blood is poured into their wounds. All either recently had or were planning to have abortions. A misfire in her psychic powers gets Shader kicked off the case temporarily, but as the case grinds on, Shader's second sight proves invaluable. When beautiful TV reporter Meredith Spiers is abducted by the Undertaker, Shader guides the investigation in ways that standard police techniques never could--deep into the moral symbolism of abortion and, chillingly, into the rituals of vampires. Glass (Eyes), a pseudonymous ""bestselling"" (according to the publisher) author, dexterously handles a multilayered story that's equal parts crime drama and psychological exploration. Psychobabble and Shader's soul searching occasionally ambush the plot, but Glass usually snaps things back on track. Heavy doses of gore mean this above-average thriller is not for the faint of heart. Agent, Deborah Schneider. (July)