BLACK OR WHITE

Guardian angels slug it out with demons of darkness in a debut novel that's long on supernatural suspense, plot tangents and characters but short on subtlety. The white Missy Parker, her brother Bobby and African-American Junior Washington are inseparable young friends in the Mississippi Delta who find themselves drawn into a spiritual showdown with demons in 1945. After a bloody scene that goes on for far too many pages, Missy has a debt to pay that changes her life. Anderson is adept at leaving the reader hanging at the end of each chapter with intriguing portents of the next plot twist, but he spoils the tingly moments with overwrought death sequences and drawn-out conversion scenes when less might have equaled more. Sometimes, Anderson handles explicit faith more adroitly, such as a sweet conversion unexpectedly engineered by a young girl, reminding Christians that God doesn't always use those schooled in evangelism to change hearts. Some characters appear and then disappear conveniently (such as the one-dimensionally evil Halbert Bainbridge and his nasty son, French). Despite flaws and some awkward diversions when the author injects weighty theology into casual conversation, genuine flashes of strong writing and good characterization show Anderson's potential. A few loose ends dangle, promising a sequel. (Jan.)