Facemaker

Katz's latest thriller (after Open House and Surprise Party) gives a new lift to the ""mad doctor'' themesmall wonder, when the doctor is Andre Laval, one of this country's leading plastic surgeons. Not content with the odd improving tuck, Laval is determined to create a perfect face, one which will exactly capture ``the look of the '90s.'' To that end, he has worked hard and well on Carly Randall, a savvy young magazine journalist whose face was all-but destroyed in an accident. Carly is thrilled iwth her new appearance (and has hopes of attracting a certain editor with it) until the day she's accosted by a woman who insists that Carly is her missing daughter. When the daughter's photo reveals a face that is an exact duplicate of her own, Carly sets about investigating the murders and/or disappearances of a number of young women, all of whom were once Laval's patients. And while she's looking into their deaths, Laval is plotting to make her a statistic too. Katz's skill in shaping what (one hopes) is a far-fetched tale provides a wealth of suspenseful moments while giving new meaning to the concept of saving face. First serial to Cosmopolitan; Troll Book Club selection. (March)