You Have the Right to Remain Silent: A Mystery with Marian Larch

Written in a terse, clipped style, this action-packed NYPD procedural follows Sgt. Marian Larch ( The Renewable Virgin ) as she heads up an investigation and tries to salvage her faltering love life. One day, while Larch is on duty in Manhattan's Lower East Side, four top-level employees of a laser technology firm--all with some level of government security clearance--are found murdered, handcuffed together and shot through the eye. Everyone agrees that their deaths are meant as a warning, but to whom or about what neither the company's president nor anyone else can fathom. Hindered by a partner who resents her and an overly ambitious captain, Larch is coerced into working with two FBI agents brought in because of the victims' classified government connections. Readers should sympathize with Larch, who is besieged on both personal and professional levels, but Paul's minimalist style and aloof point of view fail to grip the emotions. The fast pace, however, makes this an exciting read. (Mar.)