In this sluggish first novel from sportswriter Wallace (The Kentucky Basketball Encyclopedia
, etc.), serial killer Eldon Wessell taunts Lexington, Ky., homicide detective Jack Dantzler with letters that reveal an intimate acquaintance with the detective's past. Dantzler suffers from inner demons, including a drinking problem and recurring nightmares induced by his mother's unsolved slaying when he was a youngster, yet his 17-year stint on the force has produced an incredibly perfect record: 33 homicides; 33 killers caught, convicted and sentenced. It would appear to be an unequal contest as Eldon's ritualistic killings become more frequent and the police form a special task force to hunt him down. Instead, Dantzler follows too many trails the reader already knows to be false, while the increasingly important role of a rookie homicide cop, Laurie Dunn, in the investigation and in Dantzler's personal life distracts from the dynamics of the two-person contest. Hopefully, the author will produce a tighter plot next time. (Dec. 30)
