Take My Breath Away

At the start of this workmanlike psychological thriller from British author Edwards (Dancing for the Hangman), lawyer-turned-author Nic Gabriel is startled to see a "dead woman," Ella Vinton, walk into a party at Westminster. Five years earlier, Ella reportedly killed herself over Nic's legal headhunter friend, Dylan Rees, who's also at the party. Nic races to save his friend, but is too late to stop Ella from fatally stabbing Dylan with a butcher's knife, then plunging the knife into her own heart. Later, Nic investigates a law firm plagued by strange deaths that Dylan had told him about. Meanwhile, Roxanne Wake, who's changed her name and colored her hair in an effort to conceal her tormented past, joins a human rights law firm to begin a new life as a paralegal. The two story lines take a few twists and turns before colliding in a shocking, melodramatic conclusion. (June)