Morsel

Keane’s confident debut heralds the arrival of a gifted horror author. Lucie Moore’s work at an Ohio real estate firm has suffered from her need to spend time tending to her ill mother, who is vividly described as having been born “into a world that took little bites out of her body and mind every single day in exchange for the ability to pay rent.” With Lucie’s boss, Ellis Katsaros, indicating that her job is in jeopardy, Lucie sets out to demonstrate her worth by photographing an Appalachian land parcel as part of an appraisal being done for a conservation group—despite her friend Emma’s warning that a man recently disappeared in the area. Upon arrival, Lucie discovers odd symbols adorning a fence and faces off with a possibly rabid coyote. She escapes the animal and finds temporary refuge in the home of a stranger before horrific violence finds her. Lucie proves a well shaded and sympathetic protagonist, making it easy to invest in her plight. Keane’s talent for sunlight horror impresses as the plot builds to a genuinely surprising but fairly clued denouement. Richard Chizmar fans will be thrilled. (Apr.)