Southern Lights

September 7, 2009
A veteran of exploring wealthy family dynamics, Steel now flirts with the thriller, introducing two familiar fixtures, the serial killer and the strong single female attorney determined to get him convicted. Unfortunately, her focus quickly shifts away from New York ADA Alexa Hamilton and her conflict with rapist-murderer Luke Quentin to Alexa's 17-year-old daughter, Savannah, and her relationship with her father, Tom Beaumont, who broke Alexa's heart when he divorced her to remarry his first wife. After Savannah begins receiving threatening letters sent from Luke or an associate, Alexa asks Tom to provide Savannah a haven, which he does over his wife's objections. The visit helps Savannah grow closer to her dad and stepfamily; it also gives Alexa, on weekend visits, an opportunity to heal in classic Steel style, but the resulting courtroom drama feels rushed and inexpert. Thriller fans will be disappointed with all the family bonding, though Steel's many readers will, of course, devour this.

September 1, 2009
In Steels latest opus, we meet Alexa, a strikingly beautiful Manhattan assistant district attorney who is in the middle of vigorously prosecuting a serial-killer case. Meanwhile, Alexas equally beautiful teenage daughter, Savannah, is preparing to graduate from high school and leave home for college. Alexa is a single parent who was wronged by Savannahs father, Tom, several years ago when they were married and lived happily (so she thought) in South Carolina. As the serial-killer case moves forward, Savannah begins to receive anonymous and creepy letters, presumably from the killer. Fearing for Savannahs life, Alexa packs her off to South Carolina to live with her father and his reluctant wife. Savannah wins over most of the southerners, and Tom realizes the scope of his mistake, though Alexa is lost to him forever. Everything is tied up neatly by the end, with Savannah gaining admittance to Princeton and the love and acceptance of her fathers family, while Alexa wins a conviction, begins dating a handsome senator, and scores a great new job. This is typical, uncomplicated Steel fare, and her fans will readily embrace it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)