Death Watch

Los Angeles television reporter Sydney St. James usually covers topics like erectile dysfunction and the birth of a hippopotamus at the local zoo. Then she suddenly finds herself in the middle of the story of her career: a terrorist plot that has baffled government experts and pundits. Terrorists are sending messages (e.g., by telegram or e-mail) to unsuspecting recipients, informing them that they will die in 48 hours. And the deaths come as promised. After Sydney stumbles across one of the "Death Watch" messages at an accident scene, people near and dear to her begin to receive threats, and she sets out to expose the perpetrators. But she doesn't face this awesome task alone. She's shored up by her strong, evangelical Christian faith, and she forges an unlikely partnership with German reporting star Hans Vonner. The ending leaves readers hanging just a tad—perhaps the authors are setting up a sequel—but it makes a refreshing change from the expected perfectly pat conclusion. Cavanaugh and Kuiper give readers intrigue as well as sacrificial characters who make tough decisions and take great risk to do what they think is right. No one will mistake this book for a literary thriller, but it's fast-paced and lean, and guaranteed to entertain CBA readers. (June)