While Galileo Preys

Sexist overtones mar this otherwise enjoyable thriller. Housewife Esme Stuart closed the door on her promising FBI career when she married Rafe Stuart and moved to idyllic Long Island. Eight years later, their harmonious marriage begins to unravel. When a sniper racks up 14 kills in Atlanta and six more in Texas, injuring Esme's former boss, Esme immediately books a flight to Amarillo, Tex., and joins the hunt for the killer despite Rafe's protests. Her choice and the case's fallout may irreparably damage her perfect life. Esme's daughter, Sophie, exists solely so Rafe can chide Esme for neglecting her, and Corin (Nuclear Winter Wonderland) makes it clear that only Esme's career choices are to blame for her unhappiness, but even readers who dislike this moral will be enthralled by faultless action scenes. (Sept.)