ECLIPSE

A South Florida police detective chases a serial killer with a strange M.O.

Detective Sam Becket (Hell, 2011, etc.) is a worried man. The Black Hole killer, who leaves each victim laid out neatly on her own bed with two gaping cavities where her eyes had been, is inching closer to Miami. There’s never a sign of forced entry, so how does the killer persuade these attractive young women to let a stranger into their homes? And where is Sam’s young friend Billie Smith, co-starring with him in an amateur production of Carmen, who has disappeared between rehearsals? When Sam’s wife, Grace Lucca, attends a conference in Zurich, a handsome young Frenchman strikes up a conversation with her. Suddenly, he seems to be everywhere: at her hotel, in front of the cafe where she lunches and, after her return home, in Miami. Sam’s dad, David, has his worries too. His second wife, Mildred, after years on the street, has finally settled into a comfortable domestic routine. Now that’s disrupted by the news that she needs cataract surgery and must confront her pathological fear of having her eyes examined. Dr. Ethan Adams is supposed to be the best, but something about him puts Mildred off. How can she overcome her fear when all of Miami is abuzz with news of a killer who targets women’s eyes?

Norman weaves multiple strands with ease, building tension to a climax that doesn’t disappoint.