THE MAN ON THE BALCONY (VINTAGE CRIME/BLACK LIZARD)

Not as substantially structured as Roseanna but again "The Story of a Crime" charted with admirable, adamantine precision. A man on a balcony watches—a little later a girl of eight is sexually assaulted and strangled, perhaps synchronized with a series of muggings. A crank phone call is dismissed but not before a second tragedy leads to the identification of the killer. This, along with Martin Beck's quiet, toneless pursuit, is a superb specimen of the roman policier at its relentless best.