Primal Scream

In a novel filled with the atmosphere of movies like Seven or the clearly implied X-Files, Slade (Evil Eye) returns with his Special X Team of Royal Canadian Mounted Police to put down a Native American uprising and solve a series of grisly murders near the Indian encampment. Detective Robert DeClercq is in charge and soon shrunken heads are arriving addressed to him, reminiscent of the Headhunter case. Though Slade boasts a cornucopia of possibly interesting characters (and not a few duds), it is difficult to follow any particular thread because of the large playing field. The plot, while gruesome and detailed--especially from the killer's p.o.v.--proves tedious as Slade stops to consider Vancouver history and Mountie procedure. (Aug.)