Fatal Reaction

After a brief stint in hardcover with Bitter Business, Hartzmark and her attorney, Kate Milholland, return to mass market format with this latest mystery. Azor Pharmaceuticals, run by Milholland's boyfriend and client, Stephen Azorini, is going broke with its search for the miracle drug ZK-501, and a deal with the Tokyo-based Takisawa Corporation is its only hope to stay in business. Then Danny Wohl, Azorini's best friend and company lawyer, is murdered and Kate, as Wohl's reluctant replacement, finds herself embroiled in the politics of drug research and Japanese business culture as she helps the police search for Wohl's killer. While the entries in the Milholland series are always solid, this latest is exceptional: Hartzmark paints a fascinating picture of the world of drug research with characters who are believable, varied and likable (even the villains are the kind you love to hate). The intensity of the complex plot never wavers, and the ending explains just enough to satisfy without being too pat. (Mar.)