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New Titles Prove Exciting

© Robert Powers

T. Jefferson Parker has won a growing list of supporters with his thrillers, which have included The Triggerman's Dance, Summer of Fear, and Pacific Beat. Not only have book buyers taken home the new Parker novel, but increasingly literary critics have taken notice, too.

Parker's breakthrough novel, the one that propels him into the major leagues, could well be Where Serpents Lie, (Hyperion, $23.95). This is a book that his fans will cherish, with its deft combination of thrills, chills, and a protagonist who has all the right stuff.

In Terry Naughton, head of a California county's Crimes Against Youth Division, Parker has created a compelling individual, a man obsessed with preventing crimes against the young. The bad guy, the villain, is The Horridus. As demonstrated by his nickname, this criminal is the nightmare of all nightmares come to shocking reality. The Horridus abducts children from their beds in the dark of night, then releases them the following day. He leaves only one clue: a piece of snakeskin.

While so far not harming his kidnap victims, Naughton fears it is only a matter of time before the killing begins. Meanwhile, Naughton faces a personal crisis as accusations threaten his work. While working to clear his name, Naughton must face his own conscience, too.

Readers will find that The Horribus reminds them of Hannibal Lecter, perhaps the most horrifying villain in contemporary thriller history.

Where Serpents Lie will both delight those unfamiliar with Parker's work, while sending new readers back to the store to grab other titles from this excellent writer.

ANOTHER WINNING AUTHOR

Blue Deer, Montana, has been the setting for Jamie Harrison's previous two mysteries, The Edge of Crazies and Going Local. Now comes the best work yet, An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence (Hyperion, $22.95).

Once again, the spotlight shines on Jules Clement, the reluctant sheriff of a small town near Yellowstone Park. When a camper discovers old bones, the sheriff becomes embroiled in a mystery which intensifies as a convict confesses a 20-year-old murder.

As in any good mystery, Harrison keeps the tension flowing as new problems pile up for the embattled sheriff. While the mystery deepens, Harrison also paints a wonderful portrait of small town life in America, circa the late 1990s.

The daughter of acclaimed novelist Jim Harrison, Jamie Harrison demonstrates talent for creating memorable characters placed into trying situations that serve to test the mettle of all. One of the leading syndicated review services, Kirkus, has called An Unfortunate Prairie Occurrence "the most resonant and tightly controlled of her three bountifully plotted high-country idylls."