Picture Perfect
Sara Taylor is a disapproving, exacting mother of seven-year-old hemophiliac Davey, who wears a leg brace and needs a daily dosage of antigen. Her husband, Andrew, is a hen-pecked, absent-minded professor about to testify for the prosecution in a drug-trafficking case. When Davey's aunt Lorrie takes him camping to get him out of harm's way, he inadvertently catches brutal Cudge and his scared girlfriend digging up the body of the man Cudge murdered. In a nasty cat-and-mouse game, Cudge chases the hapless Davey through the woods and around an amusement park closed for the season, while Lorrie, unable to find Davey with the help of the local police, contacts the detective protecting the family during the trial. Meanwhile, icy, perfectionist Sara, the most interesting character, is killed by a taxiing airplane. Although there are some well-paced suspense scenes and telling descriptions, this novel is not a success; the writing is mostly pedestrian and the plot barely credible. Michaels has written more than 50 books (e.g., Split Second), and her fans may seek this one out, but new readers will not find it satisfying. With all the good suspense novels out there, this is not recommended.AMolly Gorman, San Marino, CACopyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.