Silent Witness

Based on an Edgar-nominated A&E Mystery Movie, this slick debut by a former policeman delivers an adept splicing of the choicer elements of Patricia Cornwall's Kay Scarpetta books and Lynda Laplante's Prime Suspect TV movies with a smaller helping of P.D. James thrown in for good measure. Set in East Anglia and featuring forensic pathologist Samantha Ryan, McCrery's tale relies on both police and medical detailing in the hunt for a multiple killer. Two corpses turn up in odd, secluded places with upside-down crosses carved into the bodies and with garlands of a rare ivy nearby. Both victims, Mark James and Frances Purves, were friends of Bird, a nightclub owner with an interest in witchcraft. Bird's fingerprints are found in Purves's car, and the cord from the inside of his club's door chime is found to be the garroting weapon. An open and shut case? Detective Harriet Farmer is clearly convinced. Ryan naturally isn't so sure. Although some readers will likely find the proceedings a little too derivative, most will be engrossed by what is an expertly realized work from start to finish. (June)