Deadly Errand

Rookie PI Kate Kinsella tackles a difficult murder investigation in this lively and impressive debut. Knowing the police have not found any clues to the stabbing death of Jacky Byfield, a nurse at St. Dymphna's Hospital, Kinsella hopes to crack the case by working on the inside. She takes a job at the geriatric facility and, being a former nurse, manages to win the confidence of the staff. Unfortunately, by the time she extracts all the information they are willing to provide, three more people have died suspiciously, including Mick O'Dowd, St. Dympha's security officer whom Kinsella had suspected was the killer. Among the perplexing questions the sleuth tackles: If Jacky really was the Jesus freak she claimed to be, would she have openly carried on an affair with O'Dowd? And who were the young men seen visiting her apartment late at night? As the cops stick to their theory of a random killer and warn her off the case, Kinsella begins to fear for her life. In a gripping and unexpectedly grim resolution, she confronts a murderer who is quick to confess, but not ready to stop killing. Fine writing and skillfully drawn players abound. (Aug.)