Death of a Blue Movie Star

When a porno movie theater is blown up in Times Square, 21-year-old film production assistant Rune (no last name given) decides that this is the chance to realize her dream of making her own film. Using the bombing as a hook for a documentary on pornography, she interviews Shelly Lowe, a major porn star. Rune is just getting into the film when another explosion kills Shelly. Evidence points to a religious cult, but Rune teams up with a quirky bomb squad detective, Sam Healy, to discover the real murderer. Since Rune's method of operation is unorthodox (including breaking into offices and buying false IDs), Sam extricates her from some bizarre predicaments and then becomes her lover. Rune's pursuit of the killer takes her behind the scenes of legitimate theater and into the seamy world of pornography. She is an offbeat heroine with a mixture of spunk and naivete. Deaver ( Manhattan Is My Beat ) writes compellingly about New York's sordid side, but his portrayal of Shelly as a gifted actress and aspiring playwright is hard to credit. Still, his fast-paced whodunit is saved by surprising twists near the end. (July)