The Kind to Kill

Wegert’s fine fourth crime thriller featuring Shanna Merchant (after Dead Wind) finds Merchant, now a senior investigator for the New York State Police in Alexandria Bay, N.Y., whose expertise is missing persons, continuing to try to cope with her own victimization. Merchant was once a respected member of the NYPD, until she was captured by the serial killer she’d been hunting, Blake Bram, and learned he was her own cousin. She managed to escape, but in the process, Bram fatally shot a rookie police officer, Jay Lopez. With Bram now dead, Merchant is hoping her current position will become calmer and more routine. Those hopes are dashed when tourist Rebecca Hearst vanishes after an argument with her husband. Evidence surfaces that Rebecca may have become the victim of a murderer copying Bram’s m.o., and Marchant fears that the possible homicide may be connected to the arrival in town of Lopez’s widow and her brother, who has a significant criminal record; both of them promise to make Merchant’s life “a living hell.” The complex plot and subtle characterizations elevate this above similar fare. Wegert remains a writer to watch. Agent: Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary. (Dec.)