Out of the Darkness

Kelly's protagonist, Boston crime writer Liz Connors, joins forces with bestselling crime author Griffin Marcus in her latest thought-provoking appearance (following And Soon I'll Come to Kill You ) . After the Boston magazine Liz writes for folds, she signs on to help Marcus research a book about the unsolved serial murders of seven young women whose bodies, with multiple stab wounds, have been found on the bank of the Merrimack River. Marcus is convinced the killer is Henry Kmiec, who is in prison for stabbing three prostitutes. Slowly and painstakingly, Liz and Griffin analyze the cases to discover possible parallels. Kmiec confesses to the unsolved crimes in an interview with Griffin. But Liz has developed doubts about the prisoner's guilt for the Merrimack murders. After Kmiec apparently commits suicide, the question remains: Was he responsible for the stabbings? As Liz and Griffin become immersed in their need to answer that question, Liz's longstanding relationship with cop Jack Lingemann disintegrates, giving this a gritty, bittersweet story added dimension and depth. (Sept.)