Claim to Fame

In this unconvincing, poorly paced first novel, the discovery of the corpse of fading A-list producer Lewis Rosenthal in a dingy motel on Sunset Boulevard leads to a tale of power, treachery and celebrity. Rosenthal's widow, movie star Nora Howard, vacillates between accepting the death as suicide and investigating the foggy clues phoned to her by an anonymous tipster, suggesting murder. An idealistic playwright from New England, an icy movie mogul who destroys people for pleasure, an aging femme fatale who assesses her body in terms of its market value and a sycophantic hairdresser to the stars are among the many stereotypes who clutter the plot, which is as cliched as they are. Appelman has a fine eye for telling detail, an admirable ability to capture a precise mood in any given scene and, sporadically, a gift for sparkling dialogue. These talents cannot redeem, however, a narrative that squanders an exciting opening in slow, anticlimactic chapters that lead to a cursory resolution. ( June )