Killing Spree

Bestselling author O'Brien's latest is a fast-paced thriller that unfortunately suffers from a slight case of predictability. O'Brien's heroine, Gillian McBride, is herself a midlist Seattle writer of serial killer books. Her personal life has been thrown into turmoil since the disappearance of her husband, Barry, two years ago, which triggered a series of intimidating visits from some unsavory business associates. Those threats, however, pale in comparison with the violence wreaked by a cross-country murderer patterning his savage crimes on the fictional ones in McBride's books. As the murders pile up, getting increasingly grisly and personal, Gillian is forced to play sleuth and soon finds herself suspecting everyone—in particular, the members of a writing class she taught at a local college before her husband disappeared. Plot twists will be anticipated by most readers familiar with the genre, but O'Brien's crisp, clear writing and taut suspense elevate this above similar fare. (Jan.)