KILLING THE SHADOWS

Mystery writers are being slaughtered in the manner of their fictional victims. It's up to psychologist Fiona Cameron to find the killer before he can get to her lover, who just happens to pen thrillers. Vari Sylvester holds interest through a long and complicated plot, ending in a hair-raising rescue in remote Scotland. The killer's identity is revealed in eerie sections enhanced by the audio, but which shift the focus from surprise to suspense. The graphic violence and sexual content are somewhat blunted by Sylvester's clinical tone while the intermittent Rachmaninoff prelude seems an odd choice. J.B.G. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/MAY 02]