THE CRYSTAL MOUSE

Sometimes Babs Deal writes stories edging into the suspense category which can't stand the light of day any better than Sara -- although you might stay up all night with her. She has just buried her husband Howard and right after the funeral moved into the unlived-in condominium in Florida he's left her. Sara's as mousey as the crystal one she unpacks (which later disappears); Howard knew she couldn't cope and you sometimes wonder why she stays on in this apartment where she's the only tenant as yet. The nights entail no grief (not really explained) but they're sheer funk -- there are sounds next door, even a woman's laugh, as one by one parts of her unlived self and unacknowledged past keep surfacing. Her story (carelessly written in spots) is sure to spook a great many women readers even if the only thing they'll hear is the fast riffle of the pages.