The Suicide Exhibition

Richards (Time Runners) explores the British home front during WWII through the eyes of Guy Pentecross, a former soldier now working for the Foreign Office. When Guy keeps coming into contact with a Sgt. Green, he begins to question Green's role in investigations. This leads him to Sarah Diamond, who is also wondering what Green is up to. Eventually the two of them discover a top-secret group, Section Z, which is exploring a world of Unknown Detected Traces (similar to UFOs), archaeological digs, and Nazi occultism. Although there are several cool ideas, Richards never really develops the feeling of war-torn London or the eldritch horrors that Section Z faces down. While the novel has all the features of a rollicking pulp adventure, it misses the pacing and atmosphere. The conclusion promises further adventures but lacks the tension of a cliffhanger, leaving the reader to fear that a continuation would simply be tedious. (Mar.)