No Way Home

When a vicious murder rocks serene Bensington, Mass., the idiosyncrasies of small-town life take center stage in this diverting suburban suspense novel. On an idyllic spring afternoon, a single rifle shot fells Flo Lapham as she works in her backyard; her husband, Earl, a witness, drops dead of a heart attack. Daughter Lydia, 30, survives, but finds the tragedy difficult to comprehend. The police are also at a loss. Local chief James Morgan suspects backwoods crazies, the Rayball family, while state police Lt. Bakinowski suspects Lydia's former lover, Matt MacGregor, one of Morgan's men. Morgan is an agreeable protagonist--part Lothario (he beds women whose wealthy husbands are off on business) and part social worker. The quirks of other locals, whose hometown is under pressure from city and state politics, offer interest and amusement. Coburn's ( Goldilocks ) engaging narrative yields little sense of climax and an overly tidy resolution, but readers will enjoy the lively pace and intriguing local color. (July)