Illona Haus, Blue Mercy

Illona Haus, Blue Mercy - Fourteen months ago, Homicide Detective Kay Delaney and her partner Spence knocked on the door of Bernard Eales' home to question him in the deaths of three prostitutes. When he opened the door, he was high on meth and beat Kay so badly he put her in the hospital and took her gun and killwss Spence. There is evidence in his home that place all three women there but he tells the police that he doesn't remember killing them because he has blackouts.

He is in a state prison awaiting trial and Kay has finally returned to duty when she catches a call about a woman dying in a fire. This woman is the witness Kay found and befriended who saw Bernard dump one of the dead prostitutes. On her chest is the same carvings as the other three victims. Everyone but Kay thinks it's a copycat killing but when two more deaths occur in the same manner as all the previous murders, Kay convinces her new partner Finn that either Bernie had an accomplice or another man killed the prostitute. When Bernie learns about this, he confesses to the first three killings, making Kay wonder who he is trying to protect.

Think Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, Christine McGuire and Leslie Glass and readers will have some idea just how good BLUE MERCY really is. There is plenty of action in this novel but embedded in the storyline is the heroine's recovery after a brutal physical and emotional trauma. There are many suspects that Kay and Finn figure could be the perpetrator but they have absolutely no evidence linking anyone to the killings. Readers will want to read more Kay police procedurals in future books.

Pocket, May 2005, $6.99, 384 pp.

ISBN 0743458087

Harriet Klausner