Raptor

Det. Kate Marbury is a police sketch artist, trying to render the likeness of a rapist/murderer, hoping to identify him before he attacks again. But the Wilmington, Del., sleuth puts herself in the criminal's murderous path in this unwieldy debut novel. Marbury is drawn to the plight of Janet Davies, the only rape victim who has survived the killer's continuing murderous spree. Marbury winds up in Davies's shoes when she, too, is stalked by the madman and attacked, escaping death only through a series of fortunate coincidences. The killer temporarily focuses on new victims, but since he knows he's left Davies and Marbury alive, he goes back on their trail. Now friends, the two must cope with the certain knowledge that he will try to kill again. Fiske's formulaic plot does generate a healthy dose of tension; Marbury is an engaging and believable heroine, and the friendship between the two women is rendered with genuine feeling. Though these straightforward characters carry the book, the rapist is cartoonish, however, and the slow revelation of his identity drags--as does, ultimately, the novel, lacking a credible antagonist. (Oct.)