A LONG REACH

Carol Irwin's afraid of Kevin Swallow. Even though she did her best to clear him of a double homicide, and he ended up walking on a technicality, he blames her for the time he spent in jail—as she tells her ex-fiancÇ Streeter, prince of Denver skip- tracers—and now that Swallow's out again he's going to kill her. And killing her isn't enough: Swallow's taunting her by sending her doggerel notes accompanied by a tarantula and a dead cat- -something to think about as she reads the newspaper stories about what's become of the other law-enforcement types Swallow holds responsible for his prison stint (victims who, even though Swallow's threats were practically front-page news, never seem to have watched their own backs). How can Streeter (The Low End of Nowhere, 1996) say no to an old flame, especially one who remained a pal even after he broke up their wedding plans by bedding her best friend? So he goes on the job against Swallow, grudgingly opens his home to Carol—and gradually begins to pick up false notes (her quirky behavior, an unsettling anecdote starring herself and a garbage disposal) that make him wonder if this case is really as simple as it seems. It isn't, not by a long shot, even though Stone's twists actually rob his fast, sleek tale of tension; the ingenious finale, featuring a kidnapping, three pairs of handcuffs, a hand grenade, and a thoroughly exasperated mime, could have used a jolt of adrenaline from the opening pages.