cover image Good Intentions

Good Intentions

Patricia O'Brien. Simon & Schuster, $23 (368pp) ISBN 978-0-684-81355-4

The biggest problem with O'Brien's (The Ladies' Lunch) predictable psychological thriller is that it telegraphs its ending way too early. Rachel Snow, recently divorced Chicago morning drive-time radio talk-show host, tempts fate when she buys back her deteriorating childhood home in Evanston, Ill. That gives her 64-year-old mother, Camilla, the opportunity to move back in after an unhappy time in Miami, where she fled after her husband's suicide. Rachel's 16-year-old daughter, Edie, also shows up after leaving boarding school. The scene is set for three generations of women to battle personal issues. Restoring the old house and recovering memories about her manic-depressive father's death appear to be the least of Rachel's problems. Her station manager gives her six months to improve her show's ratings. When an anonymous caller claims to be The Truthseeker, a murderer who supposedly died in prison, Rachel's producer suggests taunting The Truthseeker into an on-air Christmas Eve confrontation. The novel quickly escalates into the familiar story of women in distress. Rachel's favorite purple lilies, threatening notes, frightening phone calls and a dead mouse arrive at the house. Edie is openly pursued by an abused teenager who posts pornographic narratives on the Internet. Camilla hides the concerns of a second breast cancer scare. Anxious calls from her ex-husband, advances from her boss and from an old lover further complicate Rachel's life. By the time Rachel sorts everything out, she is caught in a grotesque confrontation that ends in violence, followed by a sentimental ending around a Christmas tree. (July)