The Assailant / James Patrick Hunt / 320 pages / St. Louis Challenge

If the cover of this book doesn't attract and entice you, surely the storyline will.  Featuring the Gateway Arch and St. Louis skyline, the Mississippi, and the full-body silhouette of a jacketed man, the cover promises an evocative, St. Louis-based tale.  George Hastings, a homicide detective with the St. Louis police department, is faced with investigating co-eds slain and dumped within city limits.  A few clues and Hastings' extraordinary insight lead him to suspect a brilliant St. Louis surgeon, Dr. Raymond Sheffield.  How is this possible?  This is a great, eye-opening, cat-and-mouse crime caper.  Be prepared to stay up late to finish it.