The Seraphim Kill

Lurid deaths, stereotypes and an unclear setting hamper this debut work. Cop Abe Rainfinch works in Oklahoma City, where corpses are accruing near the Seraphim, a church building turned nightclub that has become increasingly popular with gays. An adviser to the governor, wearing a dress, is found stabbed to death in an alley, his face slashed; a second murder involves considerably more mutilation. Abe explores three possible suspect pools: local residents upset by the desecration of the church, the governor's staff and habitues of the club. Shaw, who sets Abe in a stormy but uncompelling heterosexual relationship with a fellow cop, tends toward stereotype in her portrayal of homosexual characters. The novel's procedural elements work well, but dull characterization and lack of distinctive atmosphere blunt the novel's effect. (May)