Missing Pieces

Practical Kate Sinclair, 47, a family therapist married for 24 years and the mother of two teenaged daughters, is losing control of her orderly, settled life. She fights with her rebellious elder daughter, Sara, who's 17. Her mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Even her body is betraying her, as hot flashes startle her metabolism. Meanwhile, a chance encounter with an old high-school sweetheart inflames her in a totally different way. Worst of all, though, is the infatuation of her sexy half-sister, Jo Lynn, with a man on trial for the murder of 13 women. Fielding's leisurely paced latest tale (after Don't Cry Now) of psychological suspense, written in no-frills prose and set in Florida's Palm Beach Gardens, follows Kate as she watches in horror her sister's growing involvement with Colin Friendly, sociopath and sexual sadist. Trying to protect her sister in some vague way, Kate accompanies Jo Lynn on her lovestruck daily excursions to court. Though the sisters' relationship strains credulity at times, an unexpected yet believable revelation about Jo Lynn's past explains the self-destructive behavior that has led her through three abusive marriages and into a relationship with a serial killer who eventually targets Kate's family for his particular malice. Prosaic courtroom and therapy scenes and simplistically portrayed secondary figures weigh down the storytelling, but Kates's honest, strong narration is up to the task of driving this novel of a family in turmoil to its bloody if redeeming resolution. 175,000 first printing; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club main selections; author tour. (Aug.)