The Evidence Room

Aurora Atchison, the heroine of Harvey’s predictable first novel, was found at age four on the steps of the minimart in Cooper’s Bayou, Fla., in the early morning of July 17, 1989. When the strangled body of her mother turned up soon after in a nearby bayou, everyone assumed that Aurora’s father killed his wife and disappeared. Aurora later left with her mother’s parents to start a new life in Connecticut. Now a nurse, Aurora returns to Cooper’s Bayou to settle her grandfather’s estate. Treated like royalty by townspeople who all seem to have revered her mother, Aurora befriends Det. Josh Hudson, whose childhood is equally marred by tragedy (his younger brother disappeared, the apparent victim of a serial killer; his older sister ran away at 18). Seeking answers related to her mother’s murder, Aurora becomes aware that the case is not as cut-and-dried as it appears. As her investigation gathers steam, sleazy Floridian characters emerge from the swamp to block her way. But with a less than original premise and a lead who’s frustratingly weak-willed, this mystery fizzles. (June)