A Rage of Innocents

In this disjointed entry in the Chief Inspector Morrissey series (following A Portion for Foxes, 1995), the constabulary of Malminster is faced with a brutal rape, the corpse of a pregnant girl found in a ditch and civil unrest in the local Asian community. The opening focus is on homeless and pregnant teenager Lucy Walton, who is picked up by the police and taken to St. Ursula's Women's Shelter. From there, Father Donnelly takes her to a clinic for wealthy expectant mothers, where she sullenly agrees to do light housework for room and board. Interspersed are chapters following the criminal antics of hooligans Darren and Skeeter as well as the ethnic unrest that leaves Morrissey's young son, Mike, seriously injured. Dogged police work on both the rape case and the murder of the young woman, as well as the suspicious death of Father Donnelly, leads Morrissey and his crew toward a solution but also endangers Lucy's life. Despite the engrossing finale, this is a disappointing tale, its parts never quite coalescing into a convincing whole. (Aug.)