The youngsters [in "Counterpoint"], surly and rebellious, are completely believable, and as in all of Holland's damsel in distress suspense novels, there are some engaging animals. Less successful, however, is the plot, which finds Kate linking up with a bestselling author who possesses more than a touch of ESP to find out who is manipulating stepsister into near madness and causing things to go bump in the night. It isn't too difficult to figure out who the bad guys are, and once the clues begin to slip into place the suspense evaporates, which is too bad because there are some nice touches along the way involving Kate trying to win over the kids.