In Hill's latest thriller, the follow-up to If It Bleeds
, hearing-impaired 28-year-old reporter Geri LaRue has no sooner arrived in town, anxious to begin her new job at the San Francisco Times
, when she's blindsided by news that her roommate-to-be Leta Blackburn, also a reporter at the Times
, has gone missing. Leta had been doing research on a murdered priest, found the week before in Golden Gate Park with his throat slashed, and the police suspect the two events are related. What's more, at least one co-worker at the Times
thinks Geri knows more than she's letting on. Soon, Geri learns that the priest's death is just one part of a serial killer's frightening personal agenda. Picking up where Leta's research left off, Geri teams up with Malcolm Piercy, an erotomania expert and therapist, and dives headlong into the world of big city journalism, psychotic murder and public scandal. Though this whodunit suffers from too many cardboard supporting characters, Geri's voice propels the narrative ably, and occasional glimpses into the killer's mind provide some tricky hints that will keep readers guessing. (Oct.)
