The Sculptor

A serial killer calling himself the Sculptor, who reshapes his victims into replicas of works by Michelangelo, sends creepy messages to art historian Cathy Hildebrant. When it becomes clear that her book on Michelangelo's work is an inspiration for the murders, FBI special agent Sam Markham asks her help in figuring out when and where the killer will strike next, but the Sculptor easily evades their efforts and, with clumsy inevitability, traps Cathy and promises to make her his next victim. The book reads like a poor man's Red Dragon , sharing some of the structures but, unfortunately, not the grace of its prose. Detailed but sometimes tedious analyses of Michelangelo's art bog down the dialogue and plot. (Jan.)