Athena

When Athena von Dietrich is found ""not guilty'' of murdering her billionaire husband, juror Professor Jonathan Michaelis is furious. When he later learns that seven unnamed members of that jury had each been bribed 100,000 to ensure the decision, and when the ensuing scandal costs him a prestigious position in Washington, D.C., he is livid. So is Colonel Horace ``Sting'' Strang, a semiretired soldier of fortune, who also feels that his honor has been stained. The two set out to track down the seven bribed jurors, forcing them to sign confessions, which Michealis and Strang say they will use only to clear their own names, and keep in the strictest confidence. What begins as an entertaining adventure/thriller quickly degenerates into a standard vigilante shoot 'em up, with Michealis blowing away Commies in Helsinki, Strang blowing away Nazis in the Florida Everglades and Athena eventually finding herself falling head over heels in love with the handsome young professor. Bandy, who won an Edgar for Deceit and Deadly Lies, can do better; the narrative is stilted, the plot is convoluted and the characters are scarcely more than silly names. (July 20)