Murder in Bandora

In her first mystery, romantic suspense writer Karr draws lots of action and good-old-boy humor from her Colorado mining town setting. Addie Devore leaves Boston for the small town of Bandora to take over her grandfather's weekly newspaper after his death. When the town drunk is found garotted, his cold body propped up next to a dummy of Wyatt Earp in the town's museum bar, Addie wonders why anyone would target the harmless fellow. Accompanied by her slobbering, beer-swilling St. Bernard, she investigates, starting at the farm of Eldora Stafford, who had loaned the dead man a book. When Eldora refuses to talk to her, Addie's interest is piqued; she returns the next day to find the farm woman has died in a suspicious-looking accident in her barn. Courting danger herself, Addie continues to probe and finally uncovers a surprising killer, on whom she is forced to exercise feminine wiles in order to save her life. Game and feisty, Addie's a likable new heroine. (Oct.)