THE COLD HEART OF CAPRICORN

by Martha C. Lawrence ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 1997

What do the San Diego police do when a serial rapist assaults four women with frighteningly increasing violence, but without leaving a trace of physical evidence? They call on Dr. Elizabeth Chase, the psychic/shamus who described the site of the fourth rape in tantalizing detail two months before it happened. Elizabeth's rare gifts of empathy and second sight, coupled with the Glock she carries, make her a natural partner for Det. Dianna Powers, head of the Sex Crimes Task Force in charge of the case. But although matter-of-fact Elizabeth gets flashes of insight from examining the crime scenes and the victims' belongings, she learns more about the victims than about their attacker, whom she can't pick out from among a cast that includes violent, unconvicted rapist Richard Zimmer and Bobby Morgan, the suspect conveniently skulking around the neighborhood of the latest assault. Even putting Thomasina Wilson, the fourth victim, under hypnosis only reawakens traumatic memories and unearths puzzling contradictions in her story (how was she able to see her attacker's face if he wore a mask?). Only the shotgunning of a likable San Diego cop will galvanize Elizabeth to put together the pieces in a final flash you don't have to be psychic to foresee. Altogether, an improvement on Lawrence's debut (Murder in Scorpio, 1995), with Elizabeth wasting less time protesting about her uniquely uncanny crime-fighting credentials, and the victims' pain and rage providing a harder edge.

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 1997

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 240

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1996

Categories: FICTION