Dead on the Stick

Mystery fans who aren't golf freaks will probably skip the golfing episodes here, but unfortunately the plot turns on golf-mania and readers may feel that they've hacked through a lot of rough lies, not to say red herrings. San Francisco private eye Amos McGuffin takes a case at the ritzy Palm Isle Golf Club in the Bahamas. The club champion and newly elected president has died of what looked like but may not have been a heart attack, and a prominent member feels threatened by another member with Mob connections. McGuffin is hired, incognito, to find out if the threat is real. He uncovers adultery, drug-running, black nationalism, financial shenanigans, a few murders andhorrors!cheating at golf, before he nails the culprit. Upton ( A Golden Fleecing is knowledgeable about golf, but the likable McGuffin's fans would probably prefer him off the course. (May 14)