Threatening Eye

No less than expected, the British author's fifth mystery (after Guilty Knowledge ) is shapely, distinguished by titillating characters and an air of reality. In the village of Benfield, the Rev. Adam King and his wife Jenny welcome a diffident young man, Jeffrey Miles, hired to restore ancient carvings in the church, presumably depicting the saints. The police are much in evidence in the area, seeking the murderer of a young woman. The chief suspect is Roger Dale, a husband and father who hopes to keep his reprehensible ``hobbies'' secret, especially from the detectives investigating the murder. Further disturbing the once placid community, a second killing is of concern to everyone except Miles, whose entire interest remains focused on his work in the church and on motherly Jenny's solicitous interruptions. The crimes remain unsolved until another life is in jeopardy, whereupon Grant-Adamson presents a most cunning denouement which, incidentally, accents the story's ironically humorous moments. (Apr.)