Carrie Blue is a refreshing heroine - she's a 46 year old widow (when's the last time you read a romance novel with a heroine who is close to the half-century mark?) with two grown sons, who is fulfilling a lifelong dream of getting her master's degree at the University of Arkansas. A former policewoman, she is down-to-earth and independent. A professor recommends her for an unusual temporary job with a private detective agency. She is to utilize her writing skills and join an Internet virtual community, called Omega MOON, to help flush out a possible killer.

Her partners in this dangerous endeavor include private detective Hayden Ivanovich and young, geeky but endearing Omega addict Edmon Welkin. Omega is a fantasy world, in which participants take on different personalities and wander through the kingdom, forming relationships and alliances with each other. Edmon is concerned because two women with whom he frequently chatted have disappeared. He fears that a psychopath is cruising through Omega, developing virtual romances with vulnerable women, and then killing them when they agree to meet him. The police dismiss Edmon as a lunatic, so he turns to Hayden's agency. Carrie is fascinated but repelled by the sexual and psychological games played out in this virtual community. As a writer, she is astounded by the sheer power of words on a computer screen. She finds herself being vigorously pursued by a character named The Highwayman - is he a potential murderer?

Bethany Campbell, who used to write sweet Harlequin romances, reveals a dark side I never would have suspected her capable of. She lets us know the murderer's name early in the novel, but the suspense derives from trying to deduce which character he is portraying on Omega and which characters are in danger from him. Campbell throws in a couple of plot twists and red herrings that keep the reader guessing. And, as I mentioned, she is very explicit in her portrayal of two brutal murders, one of which occurs in the first chapter of the novel. I made sure I didn't read those parts before bedtime.

I was intrigued with the Omega community, and the fantasy world its participants create for themselves. The lonely, often homely women who reinvent themselves as beautiful princesses on the Internet and then go looking for love in all of the wrong virtual places are easy prey for the killer. Because I am a novice when it comes to this type of Internet involvement, I don't know how realistic this is, but I suspect it is entirely plausible. Campbell's description of "netsex" so prized by Omega participants was both hilarious and pathetic.

The more time Carrie spends on Omega, the more she is attracted to the very real but reticent Hayden. The romance between them is understated but sweet. He often accompanies her on her virtual forays into Omega. The contrast between the male characters who proposition Carrie as soon as she logs on, and Hayden, who agonizes before he is brave enough to put a virtual arm around her, make him stand out as an honorable character, in cyberspace and in reality. But he is no savior - I liked the way Campbell let Carrie take care of herself in the climactic confrontation with the villain. It was entirely in character that she could handle the physical danger by herself, but that she would need Hayden to get through the emotional aftermath.

If you're reading this novel looking for some holiday cheer you will be disturbingly disappointed. However, there is no denying that this is a compelling novel. Consider yourself forewarned, but if you think this might be your cup of tea, you may find yourself unable to forget Don't Talk to Strangers.

--Susan Scribner