Talk

Popular TV talk-show host Jessica Wright finds herself stalked by an obsessed fan in this workaday romantic thriller from Van Wormer (Just for the Summer). Despite tough security, the creep infiltrates the television studio where she works, as well as her vacation house, where he leaves unsettling notes, a mysterious gift and, finally, the dead body of Jessica's secretary. Then he kidnaps Jessica. The convoluted plot initially moves briskly but then gets bogged down in the details of the abduction. Juxtaposed against the kidnapping story is the budding romance between Jessica, a recovering alcoholic, and news producer Will Rafferty, eventually a suspected accomplice in the crime. Van Wormer, a practiced talk-show guest and the ""novelizer"" of several TV serials, puts her behind-the-scenes experience to good use, showing the tense balletics inherent in live broadcast. When Jessica writes her autobiography, Van Wormer, who is also a former editor at Doubleday, takes the opportunity to introduce tidbits about the publicity aspect of publishing. Despite the urgent atmosphere that permeates this fast-paced thriller, however, it falls short on character development. Three key female characters introduced in earlier novels play major roles here, but it's difficult to tell these tough, attractive, driven career women apart. Agent, Loretta Barrett; editor, Diane Moggy; author tour. (Aug.)