The Mensa Murders

Fort Worth police detective Deb Ralston returns to solve a string of murders in this lively procedural. The first fatality, Jane Stevenson, is assumed to have been a victim of her obesity and heart problems, but Deb shows otherwise. Examining the strangled woman's past for possible motives, Deb learns that Jane, a seeming nonentity, had been a member of the Mensa society for people with very high IQs. Believing the killer might murder again, Deb tries to warn other female Mensa members who are living alone. Unfortunately for Corie Meeks, she is too late. In searching Corie's home, Deb finds a photograph of psychiatrist Bradley Graves, who had also known Jane. Corie's infatuation with the handsome doctor raises troubling questions; then the murder of still a third woman, another Mensa member, suggests the murderer may be focusing on the victims' clothing, not their minds. As often happens in actual police work, the real tension does not build up until the grisly denouement, yet Martin's ( Death Warmed Over ) knowledge of police procedure makes this a satisfying, diverting read. (Dec.)