KUNMA

Reincarnation and karmic destiny direct the adventures of a psychiatrist hero in Corsaro's earnest but gawky horror debut. David Sussman, an unorthodox Manhattan shrink who incorporates Buddhist principles into his practice, receives a request from wealthy Laurel Hunt to treat her art dealer husband, Hugh, who's been hospitalized after a psychotic break that has him convinced he's "burning up." Uninterested, David fobs Laurel off on a colleague who, after interviewing her, utters the cryptic word "Kunma" and then dies in spectacularly gruesome fashion. Drawn ineluctably into the intrigue—and all too eagerly into Laurel's bed—David investigates and begins turning up clues about Hugh, Laurel and their son Chris that resonate strangely with his own religious beliefs. When a bookseller friend apprises David that "the Kunma is a thief of the soul" from Tibetan mythology, David is galvanized into spiritual self-examination to find answers to the increasingly bizarre puzzle in a possible past life. Corsaro makes the most of his novel's unusual Buddhist angle, giving the reader just enough mystical instruction at key points to make sense of events without dispelling their supernatural aura. Inevitably, though, he inflicts lengthy, literal dreams on David to explain exactly what's happening. Once the mystery is demystified, the novel shifts to conventional thriller mode, replete with a bloody shoot-out in a protracted climax. Readers won't have to believe in déjà vu to feel that they've seen most of this tale's surprises before. (June 2)

Forecast:The well-connected author, a stage director on the Julliard faculty with a long-standing association with New York City Opera, has secured blurbs from the disparate likes of Maurice Sendak, soprano Renée Fleming and Chelsea Quinn Yarbro. The greater community of artists and performers may partially offset weak sales among horror fans.