The predictable plot of Thompson's new suspense thriller makes it a disappointing follow-up to her well-conceived Fade the Heat
. A promising opening finds returning heroine Luz Maria Montoya, a Hispanic community activist based in Houston, barely surviving a savage assault. By coincidence, the officer investigating the case, Grant Holcomb, has reason to begrudge obstinate do-gooder Montoya: Holcomb's partner committed suicide after Montoya alleged that the partner was responsible for a series of brutal attacks on prostitutes. As they work on the case together, growing romantic feelings complicate their mutual antipathy, forcing the policeman to cross a number of ethical lines to protect his charge from a savage stalker. Unfortunately, the relationship and the whodunit plot are equally underdeveloped; Thompson doesn't put much effort into developing plausible suspects, so the twist revealing the stalker's identity will surprise few. (Nov.)
