Shadowtown

Shadowtown is named after a soap opera of which the most popular character had been a vampire. He was ``killed off'' by the writers after the actor who played him died in an accident. Now, however, someone has stolen the vampire's caped costume and is killing people associated with the soap, including a security guard on the set. New York cops E. L. Oxman and Art Tobinintroduced in The Eye check out actors around town for clues. Many of them, it seems, have had their careers ruined by the soap's femme fatale, Lana Spence (who is herself a recipient of death threats). It's a bewildering case, but the plot moves with no more speed than a typical soap. And while Oxman and Tobin are well portrayed, the other characters are no more dimensional than their soap opera counterparts. Predictably, this does not make for an intriguing read. (October)