Hide and Seek

In this sprightly romantic mystery, Atlanta journalist Amanda Roberts tracks down a serial killer whose final victim Roberts encountered jogging in the park only moments before her death. Roberts's relationship with former cop Joe Donelli, which picks up from an earlier book, is confusing at first, seeming only friendly then turning abruptly romantic. But Roberts is an appealingly tenacious modern working woman. The six victims also had been young, career-oriented women, and Roberts's investigations often lead her to poke around in their lives and reconsider her own. Eventually she begins receiving threatening messages, and one even arrives via the computer at the Atlanta magazine where she works. Woods ( Ties That Bind ) has a knack for details that add interest to the personal side of the story, like Donelli's convincing Roberts to carry a gun and their back-and-forth banter about whether or not to get married, but the involvement of a 12-year-old runaway who appears to be the son of a local politician seems forced in order to provide an instant family for Donelli and Roberts in future installments. (Dec.)