Bump in the Night

Holland's ( A Death at St. Anselm's ) fans will be disappointed by the prosaic plot and one-dimensional characters in her latest suspense novel. Alcoholic Martha Tierney is awakened one morning by a phone call from her son's school: eight-year old Jonathan never reported to class. Every mother's nightmare becomes a reality for Martha, whose ordeal is exacerbated by her struggle to remain sober, and by the enraging presence of her ex-husband, Patrick, who wants custody of Jonathan. Although NYPD Det. Sgt. Pete Mooney discovers a link between a dead woman, a child pornography ring and the abduction, it is Jonathan who provides the big break in the case. While his street smarts and intelligence belie his age, his actions, under the perilous circumstances, could only occur in fiction. A predictable ending further mars this uninvolving,though competently written, mystery. (Nov.)