Still Waters: A Novel of Suspense

A steady pace, dialogue that captures the natural rhythms of speech, and a remarkably sane heroine mark this fiction debut. Upper West Side Manhattanite and photojournalist Libby Kincaid turns reluctant amateur sleuth to investigate her brother's suicide in their Ohio hometown. Shards of doubt about Avery's death are lodged in Libby's mind by his friends who disagree with the police's notion that he was despondent over a broken love relationship. She moves into Avery's house to tie up his affairs. In reading through his computer files, she learns that Avery, an avid fisherman and high school science teacher, had suspected high levels of toxic chemical waste--and probably illegal dumping--at his favorite fishing spot, and he had recently submitted water samples to the university. Libby's presence in Avery's house, unnerves someone who sets the place on fire, firming Libby's determination to solve her brother's murder. Tucker draws the landscape and characters with appealing detail, and Libby's behavior is credibly motivated by fear and fueled by adrenaline. (Mar.)