From Publishers Weekly
Veteran crime author and editor Gorman gives psychological profiler and former FBI man Robert Payne (Harlot's Moon, Hawk Moon, etc.) a fourth chance to shine, but he manages only a pale glow in this loosely constructed tale. Brenner, Iowa, seems an unlikely locale for voodoo activity, but local legend supplies an explanation. Wealthy, charismatic and insane Paul Renard, a rapist and murderer who was confined to Sterling Psychiatric Hospital, not only practiced voodoo but also arson. When he burned down the hospital in the late1960s, more than 20 people, patients and staff, perished. Renard escaped and, though once spotted, has eluded capture ever since. Now a recent murder has stirred up the dormant legend. Tandy West, a psychic who's helped the FBI in the past by locating missing bodies, calls in Payne. West has profited from exercising her paranormal gifts on a cable TV show, but unfortunately the show's ratings have slipped to almost zero, along with her psychic powers. Payne, who was once West's lover, may be her only hopeAboth to solve the murder and to revive her sagging career. Gorman lays on the gothic trappings, including timely thunderstorms, hidden identities and secretly buried bodies, but the plot is just too haphazard and full of loose ends to produce much suspense. Some bright dialogue and Payne's engaging narrative voice stand out in what otherwise seems a halfhearted effort. (Aug.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Twenty-five years ago, in a small Iowa town, an asylum for the criminally insane burned to the ground, killing inmates and employees. The fire was set by Paul Renard, a sexual psychopath who escaped the blaze and disappeared. Today young Ricky Hennessey faces murder charges in the death of his girlfriend. His defense: Paul Renard did it. Legal investigator Robert Payne joins the case at the request of Tandy West, a cable TV psychic and Payne's former lover. She's doing a piece on the Hennessey case for her show but has begun to question her gift and feels the need for Payne's reality-based investigatory skills. With the assistance of the local police chief, Susan Charles, Payne learns that the past has invaded the future in a most unexpected way. This fourth installment in the Moon series offers an exciting mix of horror and suspense. Another fine novel from the always reliable, underrated Gorman.
Wes LukowskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
