From Publishers Weekly Schermerhorn， a veteran newspaper reporter， introduces Caroline Lubick， a former third-grade teacher turned beat cop， in this competent， but less than invigorating debut set in San Francisco. In ill-fitting blues， with a hefty revolver and clunky no-slip shoes， Caroline takes to the night patrol like a fish to water. Late in the summer， a rapist who bites his victims preys mainly on elderly women. When he attacks a young girl in the ex-teacher's old school district and starts torching buildings， he earns extra enmity from "Officer Carrie" and her colleagues. Working closely with a new lieutenant (a courtly widower several years her senior)， Caroline uncovers a clue that leads directly to the perpetrator. Despite careful attention to procedural detail， the plot has too few twists and turns to generate much suspense， and Schermerhorn's characters are too thinly drawn to carry the weight of the tale. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Booklist Retired newspaper reporter Schermerhorn's first novel is a highly readable， very intense police story. Carolyn Lubick， a former third-grade teacher， has become a San Francisco police officer assigned to the marginal neighborhood south of Market Street. She finds the job similar to playground duty--watching out for the safety of all. The main action here involves a serial rapist who seems to be moving closer to Carolyn's beat， but it is the descriptions of an average night on patrol--the radio chatter， the mundane details， a decent cop's humanitarian sensibility--that provide the story's real fascination. Of course， this being a mystery， there must be some drama， so Schermerhorn offers a very exciting fire-rescue scene and makes Carolyn a key player in the rapist's apprehension. Still， it's the sense of authenticity that the author brings to a day in the life of a beat cop that leaves us wanting more. With any luck， Carolyn Lubick， beat cop， will become a series heroine. Stuart Miller See all Editorial Reviews