The Eyes of a Stranger

From Publishers Weekly:

"First novelist Hyman uses a standard cast in this thriller – a deranged killer, the police who unsuccessfully seek him, a dogged journalist following every clueyet the story brims with suspense. Diane Hanson, consumer reporter for the Citrus Beach (Calif.) Daily Record suspects that psychic Eduardo Ranier is a fraud, perhaps a dangerous one. His allegedly clairvoyant 'powers' helped police locate a slain teenager, but after Ranier's recent appearance at the community's high school, student Jeanette Tracy was found murdered. Diane decides to investigate Ranier, partly out of concern for Lara Ryan, an impressionable, restless girl whom she has befriended through the Big Sister program. Like Jeanette, Lara attended Ranier's high school demonstration, becoming enthralled by the mesmerizing speaker. The killer leaves a photograph of Jeanette's corpse at the Daily Record, plus a note stating his intention to murder two more women. Just when Diane feels certain of Ranier's guilt, Lara runs away, possibly to be with him. Hyman keeps the tension high by rapidly shifting her focus from the official investigation, to Diane, to the killer and to Lara, presenting each viewpoint in compelling fashion. A stunning climactic plot twist will electrify readers."