Blindsided: A Mystery

The pulsating sequel to Fall from Grace has San Francisco cops and lovers Jane Candiotti and Kenny Marks on the trail of a serial cop killer who's running wild in a city gripped by a heat wave. Jacques Carpenter has spent 15 long years in prison after his wife's death, the result of both injustice and police incompetence, and he is naturally eager for revenge--cruel and bloody revenge. First on his list is Skip Lacey, a former cop turned junkie. Carpenter smashes Lacey's face with a jagged rock, then gouges out his eyes with a sharpened spoon, a souvenir from his prison mess days. Meanwhile, Kenny moves his guitar collection and his blues records into Jane's place as the long-reluctant couple finally gets domesticated. An unlikely slice of logic fuels the police hunt for Carpenter, but for the most part Phillips cuts hard to the chase, with impressive results. The action moves in a frenzied rush, linear and refreshingly uncomplicated. An unwise crime coda, which plays out mystifyingly after the main plot has ended with a fine if predictable abduction and shootout, represents the author's only real misstep. The rest is tough, relentless and assured storytelling. (Mar.)