Whirlwind

In this well-crafted standalone from Norman (Fear and Loathing and six other Sam Becket thrillers), the Reaper, a self-proclaimed psychopath and serial killer, stalks New England. Meanwhile, Michael Rider, the scion of a prominent family, is in a downward emotional spiral, and Liza Plain has become a copy editor and ghostwriter for blogs, abandoning her dreams of being a journalist in the mold of Dan Rather and Connie Chung. Discovering what it is that unites these seemingly disparate people is the book’s main pleasure. Fate brings the Reaper, Liza, and Michael together on a snow-laden Christmas Eve in the village of Shiloh, R.I., a place travelers tend to skip unless they are “aficionado[s] of high-profile true crime stories.” The literally and figuratively explosive denouement shatters some long-held illusions and brings carefully concealed secrets and unvoiced pain to the surface. Norman skillfully examines such themes as hypocrisy, cruelty, forgiveness, and redemption in this unsettling novel. (Mar.)