Pacific Heights

This contemporary thriller from the pseudonymous Harper offers a promising setup, but suffers from a lack of dramatic tension. When San Francisco psychotherapist Vera List realizes that two of her patients, Elise Currin and Lore Cha, both the wives of important and powerful men, have fallen under the sway of the same domineering lover who has somehow gained access to her confidential files, List turns to former SID detective Marten Fane for help. Fane discovers that an already deeply disturbing situation is even worse than it appears. Ryan Kroll, who works for a large private intelligence company, is determined to prove his warped psychological theories at the cost of his lovers' lives. As minor characters fall into peril, the enigmatic Fane so dominates the playing field as to make the struggle with Kroll almost one-sided. While the action doesn't always grip, Harper succeeds in sympathetically portraying Elise and Lore as they face genuine danger. Author tour. (July)