Final Fear

Ex-reporter and former baseball player George Gray, who made his first appearance in Payback , returns in an entertaining novel set in and around a troubled inner-city medical center. When his baseball buddy Joe Taft dies after being admitted to Philadelphia's Clarke Hospital, Gray takes it upon himself to discover whether the care Joe received was to blame. He poses as a heart-attack victim, and nearly dies as the result of an allergic reaction to a routine test, before enlisting the aid of Dr. Molly Hale. Their investigation uncovers evidence of greed and murder, setting them on a collision course with the respected John Walker, a psychotic physician who enjoys frightening patients, whom he then murders. Alternating chapters of first- and third-person narration heighten the suspense until the killer and his pursuer actually meet; an interesting subplot chronicles Gray's dogged attempt to deliver his friend's deathbed letter to a son who supposedly died at birth. This fast-moving, well-plotted story boasts more than the usual share of mysteries to be uncovered, as well as a level-headed hero who makes appropriately reportorial observations. ( July )