Blue Mercy
In Haus's chilling first novel, a psychological thriller, Baltimore police detective Kay Delaney has almost put her life back together after her partner's death a year earlier—thanks to serial killer Bernard Eales being locked behind bars and awaiting trial. But then a fresh murder opens old wounds, setting in motion a grisly series of events that reunites Delaney with fellow detective and former lover Danny Finnerty, casts doubt on Eales's guilt and tests Delaney's courage and will to live. The latest murder copies Eales's signature method of operation, and as more bodies are found, frustration and fear grip Delaney and Finnerty—even after they identify the killer. The elaborate plot gets off to a slow start, but the pace picks up as initially unlikable characters gain depth. Despite a certain predictability in her storytelling (past events routinely get recounted in the midst of current scenes), the author's impressive ability to get inside the heads of multiple characters (particularly the killer's) without betraying plot twists, and her refusal to shy away from morbid detail, will keep readers enthralled.Agent, Meg Ruley at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.