Mariah Stewart, Dead Certain

Dead Certain

Mariah Stewart

Ballantine, Jul 204, $6.99

ISBN: 0345463935

Archer Lowell, Curtis Alan Channing, and Vince Giordano share a jail-holding cell waiting for the law to process them when all hell breaks loose as someone escapes custody. To pass time while the complex is totally shut down, the trio discusses why they are here when the conversation turns to who would they like to kill. They agree that to be successful they would have to exchange victims like the Hitchcock and DeVito movies did.

Amanda Crosby is angry with her business partner Derek England because he purchased an illegal stolen Iranian goblet that they will have to return. Amanda leaves a voice message on Derek's server that she will kill him. Derek agrees to meet Amanda, but he never arrives at her home.

The next day Broeder, Delaware Police Chief Sean Mercer informs Amanda that Derek was murdered, she is a suspect because of the voice message and that the victim apparently knew the killer. However, Sean becomes concerned that someone is stalking Amanda and is made to look like imprisoned Archer Lowell is dong it. When her neighbor is killed, Sean is DEAD CERTAIN that that someone with insider information on the Lowell stalking is plotting Amanda's destruction.

The second murderer-switch tale is an enjoyable police procedural romance starring a fine cop, a beleaguered heroine, and a fully developed support cast including two vile villains (one in prison and one as his surrogate killer). The story line moves quickly forward as the proxy killer causes havoc in which evidence points towards Amanda or Archer. Fans will appreciate this solid tale and look forward to the final member of the unholy trio doing his damage.

Harriet Klausner