Rearview Mirror

In her latest psychological thriller, Feldman (Too Close for Comfort) captures the doubts and insecurities of the freelance journalist--here, of heroine Hallie Fields, who writes primarily for Era, a magazine ``geared to what are known as women-of-a-certain-age.'' In addition, the author, who also writes under the name of Elizabeth Villiers, draws the reader expertly into the dramas of Hallie's developing romance with her most recent subject, professional altruist Dexter St. John, and of her discoveries about her next interview subject, Ella Weill, a successful writer of books for young women and a childhood acquaintance of Hallie's. What Feldman doesn't do so well here is generate suspense. Though she makes it clear that something significant, perhaps horrible, is going to happen in the tortured marriage between Weill and her womanizing husband--something possibly involving Hallie herself--the narrative suffers from an erratic rhythm. The fundamental reason for this is Feldman's interspersing of Hattie's first-person narrative with third-person perspectives of other major characters. While this technique broadens the author's canvas and allows her to drive home the idea, implicit in the book's title, that both Hallie's and Emma's lives are reflections of their mothers' troubled times, it also winds up making Hallie seem less real. Fortunately, Feldman's narrative works as social commentary, scoring several tart and clever points about contemporary life. (Jan.)