Japanese-American police chief Mark Shigata, first encountered as an FBI agent in Death by Deception , has problems. A major hurricane, dubbed Anna, is headed toward his town, Bayport, Tex., and he must convince the population, including his daughter Melissa and her mother Gail (who is not Mark's wife, at least not yet) to move inland to safety. During the storm, several murders occur. A woman discovers that her two roommates--and a stranger, found in the bathtub--have been brutally knifed to death. Meanwhile, another woman is killed on her way to the laundromat, and yet another victim is struck down while her husband, a physician, is asleep nearby. All the women share one trait: their silver-blond hair. Shigata and his colleague and friend Sergeant Al Quinn investigate, feverishly gathering evidence before it is swept out to sea in the fury of the storm. Meanwhile, the killer stalks Melissa and Gail. Wingate's suspenseful tale, which adds a strong romantic strain to a police procedural, provides an able follow-up to her detective's debut. One hopes to see more of Shigata and the warm and human Quinn. ( Jan. )
Wingate's second book advances greatly on her first; indeed, the needless confusion here arises only from reference to events in Death by Deception (LJ 11/1/88). Japanese-American police chief Mark Shigata, the protagonist who debuted in the earlier book, defends the beleaguered town of Bayport, Texas, where capricious hurricane Anna and a crazy serial killer strike together. Exciting, tension-filled moments spill forth with wind-driven rain as police race against time and weather to stop the maniac. Though the conclusion is foregone, it is excused by the clever, suspense-producing situation.
