Double Take

In this intriguing if tangled sequel to Fast Forward, Los Angeles TV news magazine producer Ariel Gold is still struggling to assimilate the fact that she had an identical twin, Jane, who died only recently. While visiting her newly discovered biological grandfather, charming businessman B.F. Coulter, on Kiawah Island, S.C., Ariel is accosted on the beach one night by a man who mistakes her for Jane. A few days later, the distraught stranger, identified as John William Barron, a famous painter's son, turns up dead, an apparent suicide. When John William's half-sister is killed in a car crash, his mother, who was driving, becomes a suspect in his death. Meanwhile, back in L.A., Ariel's crusty boss, Henry Heller, is investigating the disappearance of Grant Lacy, a socially awkward genius who founded a computer company and whose beautiful wife stands to benefit enormously from his death. As Ariel and Henry compare notes, discovering similar strains of adultery and deceit in both stories, their own relationship begins to blossom into romance. Their clever banter and Ariel's penchant for quoting writers from Dickens to Wilde add savor to this thriller. The double plot is needlessly complicated, however, and a set of unconvincing revelations at the end may leave readers feeling betrayed. Moreover, while Ariel and Henry are appealing characters, the fact that they have little personal stake in their investigations--beyond a journalistic eye for truth--makes their discoveries hard to care about. (July)