Cut Throat

In her latest outing, Sala's emotionally and physically scarred bounty hunter, Cat Dupree, finds herself on an assignment that could finally put her personal demons to rest: searching for Solomon Tutuola, the man who slashed her throat and murdered her father years ago. Though Tutuola should have died in a house fire six weeks ago, Cat's GPS program indicates he's still on the loose. Ditching her love-struck comrade and occasional bedmate, Wilson McKay, Cat travels alone to Mexico in search of Tutuola. Once there, she's quickly diverted from her mission by the discovery of a baby in the desert alongside its dead mother; the detour Cat takes to find the infant's family serves to open the first cracks in her tough shell. Fortunately, she's still got her heart set on vengeance, and it isn't long before she catches up with the sinister Tutuola. Though the second half, concerned largely with Cat's changing feelings toward Wilson, doesn't offer nearly as much suspense as the first—substituting the chilling Tutuola for much weaker antagonists—Sala's characters are vivid and engaging, and an explosive conclusion almost makes up for the latter half's lack of action. (Nov.)