Murder in a Mayonnaise Jar

In this gritty but sometimes poorly focused mystery, a young woman TV reporter and an anchorman going through mid-life crisis investigate the seemingly unrelated deaths of two glue-sniffing boys near a St. Louis park. Anchorman William Hecklepeck, met before in The Medium Is the Message , is less interested in the story about a boy who died from ``solvent abuse'' than in his planned trip down the Mississippi with the scion of a leading St. Louis family; nevertheless, he reluctantly agrees to help newcomer Jennifer Burgess with her investigation. The subsequent, similar death of a nine-year-old boy after he has been interviewed by Burgess sparks ratings lust in the station management. The possibility that the death-dealing substance comes from a manufacturing plant owned by one of the city's elite and his growing attraction to the young reporter finally reactivate Hecklepeck's journalistic instincts and lead him and Jennifer down a dangerous path. McKitterick's sharp portrayal of insider politics in both the city and the TV studio seem accurate, but Hecklepeck, a lackluster hero in his first outing, is no more appealing here. (Sept.)