Moon Music features Las Vegas Detective Sergeant Rom Poe in a detective thriller with strong psychological, mythological, and mystical overtones. The story begins with a relatively traditional serial killer hunt. A horrifically mutilated body is discovered and the cops go to work. The glitter of Las Vegas' Strip is overshadowed by the seamy side of Las Vegas.

The characters are well-developed and interesting, but frequently far-fetched. Romulus (a.k.a. Rom), the policeman, is 5'7" tall; whereas, his identical twin brother Remus is a seven foot acromegalic giant. Their cutesy names can not compensate for the contrived scientific explanation of their size disparity. Supposedly, one brother was given growth hormone that inexplicably led to acromegaly. While such a side effect is postulated for long-term growth hormone overdoses, therapeutic doses in children do not lead to such outcomes.

Rom's detective colleague, Steve Jensen, is a pathetic man who knows intimately most of the hookers in Las Vegas, including the murder victim. When the veteran cop "pukes" at the sight of her body, his personal relationship becomes less private. Despite obvious legal and investigative conflicts of interest, Rom allows Jensen to stay with the case. This bad judgment by a Metropolitan detective is a slight strain to credibility, but enhances the story line. The reader is led to wonder about the motivation behind Rom's decision – particularly with the revelation of his long-standing special relationship with Steve Jensen's wife.

Rom is tied emotionally to Alison Jensen. In private, she appears to be suffering from extreme mental disability. Alison fights to maintain an outward show of stability because of her fear of hospitalization, but her litany of compulsive behaviors is not well concealed.

The identity of the killer is strongly hinted early in the book, but understanding and catching the "deviant" is a harrowing test for the reader and the police. The killer is driven by rage at the environmentally unfeeling parasites responsible for the tragedy of Las Vegas. The killer's rage is wide-spread, and the first person thoughts are quite disorganized. The police are confused by the non-random pattern in the killer's disorganized activities.

The final hunt of the murderer could have been inspired by a Hollywood special effects artist. Furthermore, the inclusion of a medieval folk legend in the explanation of criminal behavior is not congruous to this reader's expectation. Were it not for Faye Kellerman's strong writing ability and well-developed characters, this entire novel would reek of a farcical soap opera.

--Steve Nemmers