Nightside

Daunting political and economic difficulties at a shelter for runaways in New York City's Hell's Kitchen are further exacerbated by murder in this uneven thriller. Eden House, the shelter program that former nun Anna Eltern founded in her apartment, has grown into a chartered organization complete with a tax number and a board of directors. Now limited facilities, funding cuts and bureaucratic rules are forcing her to turn away the desperate teenagers to whom she has devoted her life. As Anna bends the rules and struggles to keep Eden House open, one of her favorites, a teenage prostitute named Porsche, is murdered and another teen, Colin Winklesworth, is arrested for the crime. When scandal-hungry newspapers begin printing attacks on Anna and alleging abuses at Eden House, Anna must find the real murderer or lose her reputation, her life's work and the kids. Santiago's ( Room 9 ) lively story is told in an engaging, first-person narrative and develops several interesting characters, including NYPD detective Jesus O'Shaughnessy, but unlikely coincidences and other unconvincing plot elements weaken the suspense and result in a somewhat unsatisfying resolution. (Jan.)