Predators & Prayers

After a promising start, this thriller crumbles under a clichéd and overburdened plot. The murder of a pedophile priest at a Catholic church in New York's notorious Hell's Kitchen sends NYPD Capt. Tony Flynn on an international hunt for a man out to kill as many priests as possible in revenge for his childhood abuse and in retaliation for the church's protection of molesters who hide behind the clerical collar. The author of The Night Stalker , a well-received book about real-life serial-killer Richard Ramirez, Carlo posits a disturbing and believable theory on how pedophiles have managed to enter the Catholic church in such astounding numbers. Unfortunately, his execution is weak. Various subplots play out against the main serial-killer story line, some of which are intriguing on the surface but are never fully explored, while others could easily be the basis for another book but prove extraneous in this one. Agent, Matt Bialer at Sanford J. Greenberger Associates . (Aug.)