Edgar-finalist Salter, after four books in her Dr. Michael Stone series (Prison Blues
, etc.), introduces a heroine with an unusual gift in this solid suspense novel. Breeze Copens, a forensic psychologist specializing in assessing sex offenders, must recommend that Daryl Collins be released from prison because, on paper, he's not a threat. But Breeze is also a synesthete—someone who sees colors and designs when she hears sounds—and may have paranormal powers, so she knows Daryl's dangerous. To prove it, she travels to Dallas, where she meets Daryl's vicious half-brother and partner in crime, Leroy, one of Salter's most sinister villains. Meanwhile, Breeze agrees to care for Lily, the troubled adolescent daughter of her drug-addled childhood friend, Jena. Breeze winds up having to cope with increasing threats from both Leroy and Jena's abusive husband. Despite some clumsy plot devices and weak characterization, the book builds to a satisfying conclusion. The tensions in Breeze's professional life alternate nicely with poetic evocations of the peaceful North Carolina coastal island where she lives. (Feb.)
