SECRET SMILE

The couple writing as Nicci French do a terrific psychological thriller. In this one, Miranda realizes, after a one-week fling, that Brendan is a creep and dumps him. Harboring a psychopathic lust for vengeance against her and those she loves, Brendan invades like an insidious parasite. He's a stalker with a twist. He does it from the inside--dating her sister and ingratiating himself with her family and friends. Anne Flosnik convincingly agonizes as Miranda makes a series of bad choices. Brendan whispers obscenities to her and appears in her bedroom in the middle of the night, yet she tells no one. No wonder no one sees Brendan's evil but Miranda. Flosnik keeps the energy high even when the situations are a stretch, and when Miranda finally fights back, Flosnik makes her strength believable. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 04]