MURDER BURNS ON FIRE ISLAND Island old-timers are stunned by the shooting death of Blue Harbor's popular fire chief, followed by the mysterious torching of his house. Rumors soon begin to flare up about the chief's rumored affairs with a vacationing lady lawyer and a girl half his age. But when former nun (now sleuth) Christine Bennett and her police detective husband start asking questions, a thick fog of evasiveness closes in. For this is not the first fire to scorch Blue Harbor. Nor, Chris suspects, is it the first murder--as she soon discovers that the passions that turn good people bad run long and deep and deadly. . . . YA-Christine Bennett, her husband Jack, and their nine-month-old son head out to New York's Fire Island for a vacation. Festivities for the island's Labor Day celebration end abruptly when the fire chief is murdered. Using Jack's status as a detective, the couple conduct their own investigation and come up with myriad contradictory leads. It's only after the second, seemingly unrelated death that the mystery moves to an exciting culmination. Drawing on the picturesque environment of Fire Island, Harris provides vivid descriptions of the sun, sand, and sea. The setting becomes important as the murders take place and the landscape becomes a major factor. Rounding out her characters with an economical use of words, Harris continuously feeds in more personal details as the story progresses and the major players emerge. The killer's identity and motive should come as a surprise to most readers. Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. I always look forward to a new mystery by Lee Harris. Her novels about ex-nun Christine Bennett are in that central range between cozy and hardboiled -- the perfect balance. Ever since I encountered Christine Bennett in THE GOOD FRIDAY MURDER, which was nominated for an Edgar Award as best first novel, I've been fascinated by the author's depiction and development of her heroine -- Christine matures in surprising (but always believeable ways) as the series continues. It would be hard to pick my favorite Lee Harris mystery, but certainly among my favorites is THE CHRISTENING DAY MURDER, in which a thirty-year-old unsolved murder has impact on present-day menace. --Joe Blades, Associate Publisher ON FIRE ISLAND Island old-timers are stunned by the shooting death of Blue Harbor's popular fire chief, followed by the mysterious torching of his house. Rumors soon begin to flare up about the chief's rumored affairs with a vacationing lady lawyer and a girl half his age. But when former nun (now sleuth) Christine Bennett and her police detective husband start asking questions, a thick fog of evasiveness closes in. For this is not the first fire to scorch Blue Harbor. Nor, Chris suspects, is it the first murder--as she soon discovers that the passions that turn good people bad run long and deep and deadly. . . . Lee Harris is the author of the mystery series featuring ex-nun Christine Bennett. The Labor Day Murder is the tenth book in the series, which surprises even the author. The series began with The Good Friday Murder, an Edgar nominee, and shows no signs of slowing down. Lee Harris' e-mail address is:  Mysmurder@aol.com She shares a website with three other mystery authors.