A Tax in Blood

This third Leo Haggerty mystery whose theme is terrorism run amok in a decadent American society again shows the author's skill with mounting psychological tension. The story begins, appropriately enough at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. A bomb explodes killing several passersby, random violence which, of course, has a bearing on Haggerty's latest case. Marta Vasquez has hired Leo to prove that her husband, Malcolm Donnelly, didn't commit suicide; a large sum of insurance is involved. Haggerty discovers that Donnelly was being treated for depression with a drug that is lethal when combined with alcohol. The last person to see Donnelly alive was a call girl who admits that suicide was hardly on Donnelly's mind. Haggerty puts two and two together and comes up with murder. He tracks down Donnelly's shrink, an Argentinian hypnotherapist whose credentials are patently phony. In a horrifying conclusion, Haggerty learns the hold Dr. Gutierrez had on Donnellyand others. (October)