THE SNOW  GARDEN is the story of unraveling parallel murders occurring 20 years  apart at fictitious Atherton College in the suburbs of Boston. Behind  the ivy-covered walls of the institution's world exists a cadre of  secretive co-eds and educators who prove the adage "you can't judge a  book by its cover." First there's Kathryn, who on the surface appears prudish and corseted,  when, in fact, she harbors a recent past involving dangerous promiscuity  and drug abuse. She is fiercely protective of her dorm mate Randall.  Gay and guarded, Randall hides scarred legs that hint at a horrible  devastation that doesn't match the invented history he shares with his  inner circle of friends. His roommate Jesse --- perhaps one of the most  despicable characters ever encountered --- has GQ good looks  (which cause boys and girls alike to swoon) coupled with a sadistic,  domineering personality that seeks out the weaknesses of others and then  tortures them with their own frailties. At the center of the murder  mysteries is Eric Eberman, romantically involved with both victims ---  the first when he was an undergraduate, the second during his tenure in  Atherton's Art Department. The author excels not only at designing  complicated, closeted characters but also at drawing them out slowly,  teasingly, in all their complexities. They are as much a mystery as the  twin murders.