FAMILY STALKER

A bizarre case for mall detective Kit Deleeuw (Death by Station Wagon, 1993): his client, lawyer Marianne Dow, is convinced that Andrea Lucca, her friend from Buns of Steel, is determined to break up her family—not simply because she has designs on Marianne's Wall Street husband Gil, but because she likes breaking up families. And a quick check with other Buns of Steel alumnae confirms that Andrea has indeed pulled the same stunt with them, befriending the women, sleeping with their husbands, and then moving on. But Kit can't talk to Andrea—she's disappeared—and suddenly, with the murders of Gil Dow (brained as he sat in his bathtub with Marianne just a few yards away) and aerobics instructor Roberta Bingham, Kit finds himself in his Volvo chasing leads all over the New Jersey interstates and uncovering an abused childhood that leaves him wondering whether there's anything Andrea wouldn't do. The final solution, though eminently guessable, is startling confirmation of how deep into the suburbs the mean streets reach. Especially recommended for anybody considering moving out of the city.