Karma

In this bear trap of a thriller, Smith eases up on the literary ambitions of his recent suspense novels (Due North; Stone City) to offer a sinewy chiller that will leave readers wide-eyed. Much is familiar here-the Raos, the ruthless Hindu criminal family that threatens architect Evan Scott and his family are at heart exotic Corleones-and much is blatant. The characters are built crudely: Evan's wife is tall and blonde; his mistress, short and dark; one villain is fat and jolly, another thin and suave. But the action is top drawer, beginning with Evan locking eyes with a woman who's falling from the top of a partially built skyscraper. In that eye-lock, Smith reads a world of nuance, and it's this sort of subtle mining of tensions between characters, especially the WASP Evan and the retired Indian soldier with whom he joins forces, that gives the action resonance. The girl was pushed, Evan learns, because her electrician father had filed a minor business complaint against the Raos, who are erecting the skyscraper. Evan's digging earns the Raos' wrath, and soon he and his family are running and fighting for their lives, with the conflict climaxing in a breathtaking battle on high steel. This isn't Smith's best novel, but it sure is his most exhilarating. Literary Guild selection. (Nov.)