Blood

Dr. Susan Shader is the most fascinating -- and sexiest -- heroine to come along since Clarice Starling made her debut in "The Silence of the Lambs." Introduced in Joseph Glass's widely praised first novel, "Eyes, " Susan is a renowned psychiatrist and criminal profiler for the Chicago Police Department whose uncanny gift of second sight has made her a celebrity among law enforcement professionals. However, Susan is increasingly reluctant to devote her psychic powers to the cause of tracking down criminals. Last time, her efforts led to the abduction and near death of her eight-year-old son. But when a young woman is found dead in a body bag in Chicago's Lincoln Park, Detective David Gold, Susan's longtime friend at the Chicago Police Department, once again calls upon her psychic powers. Traces of foreign blood and strange markings found on the body make one thing certain: a killing this ornate could only be the work of a deranged serial killer. They call him the Undertaker. Susan is quickly drawn in by the bizarre psychology of the killer, a man who preys on, and prays over, beautiful young women like a fanatic executioner. Plagued by psychic messages that allude to abortion, virginity, and seemingly random quotations from "Romeo and Juliet, " Susan scrambles for answers. When the best efforts of a determined police force fail to solve the riddle, Susan Shader's controversial gift may be the only way to stop the madman. Combining the disturbing imagery and virtuosic writing of Thomas Harris and the intricate plot twists of John le Carre, Joseph Glass catapults the suspense thriller to an entirely new dimension. In "Blood, " he has fashioned a relentless, masterly psychological drama that leads to a most unexpected and bone-chilling climax. And he has given us Susan Shader, a hauntingly appealing heroine we've definitely not seen the last of.