Cheat the Devil

Sympathetic and convincing characters are stronger than the puzzle in this third mystery in the Cat Austen series (after Fruitcake, 1997). Cat, a freelance writer and young widowed mother from a large Italian family in southern New Jersey, is dreading a vacation she has agreed to take with her Shakespeare-quoting suitor, Police Lt. Victor Cardenas, when a murder materializes to prevent it. It is the fourth in a series of murders in which the victims--all women--share a link to St. Agnes Church, where Cat's brother Dom is a priest. A subplot involves a television program called CopWatch, which is in town to film a re-creation of one of Cat's earlier stories. The academic adviser is Ted Cusack, who had tried to rape Cat when she was in college and, without recognizing her, puts the make on her again. Cat's ambivalence toward Victor is further complicated when he decides that Father Dom is the killer. Three more deaths occur before Cat and the police, five of whom are also her brothers, identify who murdered whom. While the close small-town and family relationships are a challenge to keep straight, Rubino's vigorous prose and engaging cast offer ample rewards to persistent readers. (Aug.)