Bargains! PROMOTIONS
California prosecutor McGuire fictionalizes a case of sexual domination reminiscent of her true-crime chronicle The Perfect Victim (1988), this time pitting alter ego Kathryn Mackay, driven Santa Rita assistant D.A., against Lee Russell, the Gingerbread Man, who kidnaps, abuses, and kills Hispanic women in revenge for his foster-sister's hot-and-cold come-ons to him years before. The real heavy, though, is Geraldo-inspired newsman Richard Sanchez, who uses his inside info to make the cops look like fools, force the D.A.'s hand on the investigation, and threaten to reveal where Lee's cowed wife Carol, who's finally agreed to testify against him, has been stashed unless she grants an exclusive interview. Guess what happens next. More than enough thrills for the law-vs.-psycho genre, though McGuire's dim characterization keeps it from being outstanding. A sequel is in the works. (Kirkus Reviews)
