UNTIL IT'S OVER

by Nicci French (Minotaur Books, 377 pages, $25.95)

"Who did it" isn't really the question in this psychological thriller; readers find that out at the start of Part II. The "why" and "how" are far more interesting. In this novel, by British spouses Nicci Gerrard and Sean French, three women are murdered in London, and bike messenger Astrid Bell is suspiciously connected to them all. Part I tells of the incidents from Astrid's point of view. She lives in a large home populated with characters that reminded me of the cast of the musical "Rent": a drug user, a promiscuous lawyer, a photographer, a moody war veteran. As the women are killed, Astrid and her housemates spiral faster and faster down a well of fear and suspicion. Is Astrid the killer? The police consider them all suspects until evidence links one of the housemates to the crimes. Part II marks an abrupt turning point. The culprit is revealed, the clock is wound backward, and what follows is a retelling of the same events through that person's eyes. It's a fascinating and creepy look inside the feelings and motives of a serial killer.

JUDY ROMANOWICH SMITH, NEWS DESIGNER

ALMOST SINGLE

By Advaita Kala (Bantam, 276 pages, $13)

I was almost to the end of "Almost Single" when the narrator threw out this sentence: "Advice to all those who are still reading this book ... " A strange sentence, particularly because I almost quit reading several times. Aisha Bhatia, the main character, is billed as Bridget Jones with a sari. I was hoping to get some insight into the culture clashes endured by a 29-year-old single woman in India. There's some of that, and those are the book's best moments. (Imagine young women deciding to participate in fasts and ceremonies that promise them a husband -- not that they really believe in such ceremonies, these modern women, but just in case.)

The characters are one-dimensional and the plot predictable, but there are a few comic episodes that kept me from putting it down. It's fine as mind candy, but even then, there's better mind candy out there.

HOLLY COLLIER, NEWS EDITOR