Michelle Perry, Cain and Abel

Michelle Perry, Cain and Abel - In Tennessee, the woman in Polly's Restaurant panics when she notices the patron dining there. She flees even as he notices her escape. She is hit by a car and rushed to a hospital, but not before perplexed private investigator Alex Ramsey wonders who Emily Jackson is, why she fled, and why when he reached her did she mumble his twin's name Cole.

Alex learns that Emily is actually his sister-in-law Jessica, who allegedly died five years ago. He also learns he has a nephew Joe. Deciding that Joe is in jeopardy from a crazed mother, Alex calls his estranged sibling to tell him his spouse lives, is crazy, and may prove harmful to the son that Cole never knew existed. However, Alex soon changes his mind when Jessica comments that Cole is going to kill her and spread her remains across the country; the same comment their father said to their mother when she fled with Alex while his sibling decided to stay behind. Alex realizes what he has done and vows to keep Jessica and his nephew safe from his brother.

Though Alex is too easily persuaded that initially his in-law is wacko and then his brother is the maniac fans will appreciate this strong romantic suspense. The comparison between the siblings makes the strong case that nurture is more important than nature as the varying environments the twins were raised in make them so different. The guilt that attacks Alex's soul for first leaving his twin behind and then when he comprehends what he has done to Jessica, and worse, little Joe, makes Michelle Perry's tale of brothers an exhilarating chiller.

Harriet Klausner.