Second Death

An apocalyptic plot turn is revealed too late to save Zuroy's ( The Healer ) book from self-destruction. Detective Lt. Brian Cushing heads a special intelligence squad on a hush-hush mission to find who's behind the ``Dracs'' (Deviant Reactive and Activity Classification), violent, zombie-like crooks with dead eyes who speak in monotone. The probe centers on an urban hospital where a dying Drac's voice speaks from a brain-dead little boy, an event followed by telekinetic occurrences. Cushing enlists young surgeon Peterson in the investigation. Peterson digs into past scientific writings of senior surgeon (and his ex-lover) Anne Miglis, who opposes his investigation. The bad guys finally emerge unsurprisingly--but with a terrific mad-scientist hook involving no less than the human soul. But flat characterization, extraneous padding and clumsy writing (``Peterson was fascinated by the brain; it was why he was a brain surgeon'') are fatal flaws. (Feb.)