Stalking Death
The seventh Thea Kozak mystery finds the crisis counselor traveling to a New Hampshire private school, where a student claims she is being stalked. But Thea soon finds this is no ordinary case: the alleged victim, a basketball player, is physically imposing, with a sharp temper and all the appearance of being able to defend herself if need be; the alleged stalker seems to be a pillar of the community; and the school’s headmaster seems irrationally and suspiciously convinced that the student’s claim is bogus. When Thea uncovers some of the school’s most tightly guarded secrets, she begins to understand that solving this case has the potential to unleash more violent reactions. The Kozak novels are always smart and satisfying, and Thea is a bright, strong-willed, sharp-tongued protagonist who never fails to entertain. --David Pitt