Here s a first novel so self-assured and truly frightening that you ll wonder what Zachary Fox can possibly do for an encore. A psychopath in a clown suit hijacks a busload of disabled children in the Southern California desert near Palm Springs and threatens to kill them all if he s not paid $20 million. A Native American policewoman， Ellen Comacho， is caught up in the crime and the ensuing turf battle between the FBI and the local police. Not the least of the author s many accomplishments is the ability to orchestrate a touching romance against a background of terror.