Blood of Saints: A Sabrina Vaughn Novel

Beaumont’s convoluted, melodramatic fifth Sabrina Vaughn novel (after Waiting in Darkness) takes the former homicide cop from her remote Montana ranch to Yuma, Ariz., to chase down a serial killer who’s managed to implicate her in his gruesome crimes. Since Sabrina is supposed to be dead (at the hands of her stepbrother, Wade Bauer, no less), she disguises herself and is joined by Courtney Church, an assassin from her past. Meanwhile, a killer is creating his own bloody narrative in flesh and bone, with an eye on Sabrina. Chapters quickly flip between Sabrina and Courtney’s investigation and the killer’s point of view. In addition, Sabrina’s got Wade’s voice in her head, and it’s never clear whether this is real or Sabrina’s imagination. The killer’s MO is gimmicky, there are too many red herrings, and the weight of the muddled, busy plot smothers character development. In the end, things tie up too neatly for a character with such a complicated life. (Aug.)