Detective

Author : Arthur Hailey

Miami police department detective Malcolm Ainslie is almost out the bureau door when he takes one last call. It's the chaplain at Raiford Prison. Elroy Doil, a convicted serial killer awaiting execution, wants Ainslie, a former Catholic priest, to hear his final confession. Doil admits to another 10 murders, but he insists he didn't kill city commissioner Ernst and his cop daughter. In spite of Doil's obvious madness, Ainslie believes him and sets about to answer the obvious question: If not Doil, who? The investigation has to start with surviving daughter Cynthia Ernst, Ainslie's former lover and now a superior officer within the department. Hailey, who lives on the best-seller lists, is likely to find himself there once again with this engrossing thriller. There's nothing fancy here, just Hailey doing what he does best: develop a topical plot; move it forward with identifiable, carefully drawn characters; and present a satisfying, logical, and exciting conclusion. Highly entertaining fare. Wes Lukowsky