Snow Angel: 8

Love, vengeance and psychopathy lead to the bloody double murder that opens this fast-moving if far-fetched debut thriller from a veteran writer for daytime soaps (General Hospital, etc.). After fatally stabbing and shooting his neighbors, a former California governor and his wife, in their remote Mariposa home days before Christmas, an exhilarated Matt Hinson slips away through the hills in snowshoes. He is on hand at the funeral to deliver a moving eulogy and to comfort the victims' daughter, Julia, his longtime obsession. Matt cleverly worms his way into Julia's heart by writing her poems about angels, enticing her with fabricated stories of her dead mother, befriending her young daughter, Molly, and, the coup de grace, by having passionate sex with her--something her husband has been unwilling to do since her mastectomy. When Matt is arrested for the murders, Julia, a writer and former TV reporter, becomes his most ardent and outspoken defender. But she will eventually learn the disturbing truth--and the mortal danger she has brought on herself. Racina spins a highly cinematic tale set against dramatic backdrops, from the snowy hills of Mariposa to a San Francisco skyscraper to the falls at Yosemite. The plot strains belief, and some of its twists are predictable. But the immoral, somewhat quixotic Matt is a memorable villain who generates considerable suspense by making readers wonder what, exactly, he will dare to do next. (Sept.)