Donato and Daughter

Topping his award-winning A Creative Kind of Killer and Razzmatazz, Early's third thriller combines a story of alienated family members with the case of a maniac who is murdering nuns in New York City. Lt. Dina Donato, in charge of an elite detective team, appoints her father, Sgt. Mike, as her partner although they've been at odds since the suicide of Dina's brother. Events move at a breakneck pace, switching from the officers' viewpoint to the killer's, as he continues an outwardly respectable life as a financier, husband and father. The suspense is unremitting, with the psychopath continuing his terrifying assaults on the religious while Dina, Mike and their colleagues endure frustrations in the chase. Numerous side plots and intriguing characters enliven a narrative that reaches a peak of excitement when Donato and his daughter are locked in a confrontation with the killer, who has the lethal upper hand. (March)