Dreamer

James ( Possession ) spins this generally engrossing horror tale around the precognitive dreams of a young British mother and advertising executive. As a child, Samantha Curtis sent a hooded rapist hurtling to his death as she fought off his attack. Thereafter, her periodic dreams of that frightening event have preceded personal tragedies. After the last dream 25 years ago, her parents died in an automobile accident. Now the hooded man has returned in a series of dreams that presage horrors both personal and public: an airline crash, a scary moment during her son's birthday party, a gruesome rape and murder in a subway station. At the same time, Sam is also torn by her husband's increasing dependence on a mysterious Swiss banker. While the ending may not deliver the payoff that readers will expect, overall Samantha's story is satisfactory and pleasingly scary. (July)