SAFE AT HOME Alison Gordon Toronto, McClelland & Stewart, 1990. 239pp, cloth, $24.95 ISBN 0-7710-3418-0. CIP Adult Reviewed by Ted Monkhouse. Volume 19 Number 1 1991 January Former baseball writer for the Toronto Star Alison Gordon has come up with another entertaining mystery after the success of the first. The Dead Pull Hitter. Again the heroine is Kate Henry, herself a baseball writer and amateur sleuth. Gordon's view of the sports-writing field and its personalities gives the reader unexpected insights. In the last novel, Kate met policeman Andy when she solved the murder. This time Andy and Kate are somewhat of a twosome, but a serial killer of young people now demands Andy's attention and strains the relationship. Kate, well respected by many Titan ball players, scoops the field when one of them decides to announce publicly that he is gay. These two strands allow Gordon a chance to weave the intrigue and the personalities we begin to enjoy so much. In the end Kate finds the killer and salvages the reputation of the gay player. What makes this novel so satisfying is not just the "who-dun-it" or "will they or won't they?" dimensions of the story but the wonderful humans we meet along the way. The settings, the conversations, the "everydayness" of the characters make this novel a wonderful escape. Gordon's short chapters, short paragraphs and animated conversation are skilful devices that keep the pages turning. The book flies by so satisfyingly that you know you can hardly wait for Gordon's next novel. Ted Monkhouse, Guelph, Ont.