Still Waters

After a slow start, Woodward's first novel, which centers on the aftermath of a murder, gathers steam and offers an engaging read. Set in a small Alabama city, the story concerns the trauma wrought on the Spencer family when a mother and her 15-year-old daughter are brutally stabbed to death in the foyer of their fine Old Spring Hill home. The narrative is related from the alternating points of view of a surviving daughter, 17-year-old Laura ``Duck'' Spencer, and of the woman charged with the murder, her father's mistress, artist Catherine Liem. Credible, colorful characters abound, particularly Duck, who commands the reader's allegiance as she journeys through the anguish of losing mother and sister, intense hatred for her father, whom she feels has betrayed her family, disappointment in her first serious relationship and horror at the the eventual revelations about her mother. Woodward, a New Orleans attorney, puts her professional expertise to good use in depicting the legal consequences of the killing: grand jury proceedings, courthouse politics, jailhouse situations. In addition, she renders the Alabama gulf shore with care and maintains suspense until the conclusion, which contains a dandy surprise. Despite some patches of wooden dialogue, this is a memorable literary debut. (Jan.)