The Little Brother

One might call the homicidal hero of Eidson's first thriller a sort of method actor. Guy Nolan is a murderer with a knack for assuming the identities of his victims--but only after he has done away with them. In a narrative that shifts back and forth chronologically, building suspense by holding off dramatic confrontations, the reader follows the transformations of Guy from the time he claims his first victim, his older brother, through his gradual evolution into a raging monster who kills at random. Guy's quest for new personas reaches frightening proportions, and the gamut these run burdens the narrative: it is a fast-paced, violent and ugly story when the maniac is on the prowl, but ploddingly prosaic when Guy now and then manages to hold his dark side in check. Nonetheless, the burning question of whether his roommate Rod and devoted girlfriend Bette will escape Guy's talent for brutality keeps our interest and culminates in a page-turning finale, complete with car chase and blood bath. Though sometimes derivative of the work of Stephen King and Thomas Harris, Eidson's debut has its high moments. (May)