Ritual

Heffernan's latest chiller/thriller begins as Stanislaus Rolk, a controversial New York police lieutenant, listens intently to the pleasant voice of Kate Silverman, lecturer at the Metropolitan Museum. Her description of ancient Toltec ritual murders is mesmerizing, certain to attract more than casual interest in the upcoming exhibit. But before the night is over, a young woman is brutally killed and mutilated in the same manner as in those ancient ritualistic sacrifices. Within days, the killer strikes again. The bizarre pattern implicates several Mayan anthropologists at the museum. Dr. Silverman's life is mysteriously threatened, and Rolk, assigned to the case, is drawn to her in a protective way. Rolk's investigation takes him and the beautiful assistant curator to Mexico, where they discover a link between the natives and a priest closely connected to the museum exhibition. Heffernan's ( Acts of Contrition ) style is gripping and dramatic, while his hard-driving prose reveals a penchant for the grisly and macabre. The suspense is excruciating once the story-line is established, and should keep readers in a state of frenzy to the last page. (Mar.)