Eyes wide open

 by Andrew Gross. When Jay Erlich's troubled nephew, Evan, leaps off a cliff in California, the successful surgeon flies to the aid of Charlie, his equally troubled half-brother and Evan's father. Erlich directs his ir. at a care system he believes failed Evan, until unsettling details cause him to wonder whether Evan's death was not suicide but murder. Urging the reluctant coroner's detective, Don Sherwood, to investigate further, Erlich soon finds himself obsessed with the case, believing the evidence points to a bizarre and long-running conspiracy. And as his involvement plays havoc with his personal life, he finds himself in danger, too. Gross is a workmanlike stylist, and occasionally the ensemble cast works against the story we're with Sherwood as he learns something, and with Erlich as Sherwood explains it but never mind. This is a well-plotted, swiftly moving story that forces us to keep turning pages. And the bad guy behind it all, a cult leader with a notorious real-life model, is downright chilling. --Booklist (Check Catalog)