Reign: An Epic New Novel by the Author of Ash Wednesday and Dreamthorp

One question raised by any horror story is: Why, if its supernatural monsters exist, haven't they been encountered before? Williamson ( Ash Wednesday ) resolves this problem in a believable, elegant manner, grounding his thoroughly enjoyable novel in our ``normal'' world. The story centers around a renovated theater in Pennsylvania and is arranged in three acts, plus overture and curtain call. The tension in Act I heightens as the reader must decide if this is a murder mystery, psychodrama, horror or fantasy, with Williamson offering clues to support each possibility. Theaters have a history of ghosts and accidents, but as the number of deaths at the Venetian mounts, the police become less inclined to accept verdicts of ``accident.'' Owner/actor Dennis Hamilton has nothing obvious to gain from the killings, nor could he have caused them, but his strange behavior makes others wonder if he might not have a double or another personality--or something else entirely--that does want the deaths. Williamson's inventive resolution is sure to satisfy. (Aug.)