When Mobile, AL, homicide detectives Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus find a woman in her car with her throat slashed, a witness reports a mysterious hairy creature fleeing the scene. More deaths follow, with the trail seemingly leading to the Kincannons, a wealthy, dynastic family that gives charitably with one hand while demanding reimbursement with the other. Ryder's TV journalist girlfriend, it turns out, is involved with one of the Kincannons; a sociopath in the family's employ cleans up its messes, and both cops find that madness takes many forms. Veteran writer Kerley (The Hundredth Man ) knows how to keep us and the protagonists guessing--often incorrectly--while heightening the suspense. In less skilled hands, the macabre events of this crime thriller might have been weighted down in melodrama, but Kerley's vivid scenery, bizarre characters, and multiple plot twists keep us turning pages ever faster. Ryder and Nautilus are likely to reappear, perhaps in a movie, but surely in another book in this appealing series. Recommended for all mystery collections.--Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale