On the Edge

The British author's first novel, Born of the Sun, scored a hit in England and in America, which this thriller almost surely will also. Cross makes the reader anxious over the fate of a kidnap victim, Tug, and a friend-in-need, Jinny. Hearing suspicious noises in a cottage in her village, Jinny interests herself in the oddly attractive woman and her cruel partner, Doyle, who have rented the little house. The girl becomes convinced they are holding the son of TV personality Harriet Shakespeare, for motives bafflingly different from those usually proclaimed by terrorists. News of the crime is trumpeted in all media, worldwide, and Doyle soon brings crowds to the locale. As the vicious abductors are about to shoot Tug, Jinny risks her life to save him in the shocking last act of the drama. Stylish writing, an ingenious plot and intriguing characters add up to corking entertainment. (12up)