KILLING TIME

Those who think women can't write tough prose should meet the star of this series debut, Natalie Price, superintendent of Horizon House, a prerelease facility for prison inmates in Boston, Mass. Title succeeds at "tough"—read mean, ornery, brutal and brutalized with a dash of despair—where many writers, including men, fail. The author, a former prison psychotherapist, knows what the system does to people, which is what this novel is really about. Nat's world falls apart when her good friend, Maggie Austin, is found dead, tied to her bed with her own pantyhose. The method instantly calls to mind a rape allegedly committed years before by Dean Thomas Walsh, a prisoner who was a student of Maggie's and of whose poetic talent she thought highly. Nat had recommended Walsh's release, believing his claim to be innocent of the crime. Nat is also inclined to believe he didn't murder Maggie, but things go from bad to worse for Walsh when he escapes from custody, and later, Alison Cole, the original rape victim whose testimony sent him to prison, is murdered. Aiding Nat in her personal investigation is Detective Leo Coscarelli, whose youthful good looks mask his mature abilities. Before long, their professional relationship takes an intimate turn. Though some may find the plot overly familiar, this is a work of fine intelligence and sensitivity that should appeal to readers of both sexes who like their mysteries raw. (May 20)

FYI:The author of the psychological thriller Romeo and many other novels, Title spent six years working for the Massachusetts state prison system like her protagonist.