Before I Sleep

In Lee's contemporary romantic suspense novel set in Tampa Bay, Fla., former prosecutor Carissa Stover is now radio talk-show host Carey Justice, a syndicated success with left-of-center leanings. Learning that John Otis, a man she once prosecuted for murder, is set to die in three weeks, and unsure about his guilt, she begins a crusade to prove his innocence and save his life. For help, she turns to her ex-lover Detective Seamus Rourke. Will they be able to save Otis? Is the maniac who's now stalking those involved in Otis's conviction the real killer? Will Carey and Seamus get beyond their problems and build a new life together? Readers will likely have closed the book before these questions are answered. The romance becomes mired in excessive introspection about the ex-lovers' painful pasts, and pacing problems mar the suspense angle--the few days left to save Otis seem an eternity. The novel's only saving grace is Otis himself, a man able to make beautiful poetry out of a lifetime of sorrow. Lee is the author of the Conard County series and also writes and publishes as Sue Civil-Brown. (July)