FLIGHT TO YESTERDAY

Veteran suspense writer Johnston is in good form here, as she sets loose beautiful, young prison-escapee Sara Hargreaves (wrongly sentenced for the murder of her lover, wealthy plastic-surgeon Manuelo Covarrubias). Now, Sara hesitantly falls into the arms of prelaw student Mike Rolfe and, with his help, revisits the doctor-rouÉ's clinic. There, they pry into his partner's loathing of him; his housekeeper's overprotection of him, and Sara's replacement in his affections, Gabriella; as well as into various patients' motives, including those of a star and her young-stud husband, a woman who's surgery was botched, and a number of bored, wealthy, sex-starved patients who knew the doctor/cad before Sara did. Sara is almost poisoned before she can confront the murderer, whose disgrace ends with a leap from an unlatched window. This ""young Jean Harris"" has gumption, and the novel's memory sequences leading up to the murder show her to full advantage (except when she falters as she drops into Mike's arms later on). Smooth, crisp entertainment for the Phyllis Whitney crowd.