Black Feathers

Victoria, the sleepy provincial capital of British Columbia, gets a makeover as a gritty city of dark, threatening mean streets in Wiersema's (Bedtime Story) bulky page-turner. In the unusually frigid winter of 1997, na%C3%AFve teenage runaway Cassie Weathers faces danger and her own fears. Trying to escape a long history of night terrors, she winds up begging for coins in a locale where women%E2%80%94young prostitutes and vagrants%E2%80%94are being tortured and butchered by one or more serial killers. Among inquisitive police, a friendly-seeming stranger, a bullying homeless youth, a charismatic activist, a fellow runaway, and a kindhearted waitress, Cassie's not sure who can be trusted. Worse, she's assailed by frequent violent dreams that point at her culpability in current and past crimes. The author displays an assured sense of pacing and an instinctive understanding of sleight-of-hand whodunit mechanics, but verbose, philosophizing villains straight from central casting lend a few sections overwrought, melodramatic, and campy qualities that undermine the nail-biting tone Wiersema otherwise sustains. In addition, the resolution stands at distinct odds with the somber worldview he devotes such energy to establish. Agent: Chris Bucci, Anne McDermid and Associates (Aug.)