The Mortician's Daughter

At the start of Bloom's twisting, turning sophomore effort (after 2005's See Isabelle Run ), Ginny Lavoie, a New York City policewoman under investigation for corruption, receives a distraught phone call from her childhood friend Sonya who lives in Ginny's hometown in western Massachusetts. Sonya's teenage son has been found beaten to death, and she wants Ginny to help sort out what happened—the local authorities are strangely eager to close the case. Back in the depressed, postindustrial town she left years ago, Ginny is compelled to confront a past she has long tried to leave behind. Though some of Bloom's supporting characters strain credibility, she reveals enough of Ginny's interior musings to lend the lead character considerable depth. An excellent sense of place serves the story well, and bits of regional humor further enliven the action. (Aug.)