Skins

Too many hazily sketched characters and a prologue that reveals the killer's identity spoil this first novel set in New York City. A famous model seen in all the fur coat ads dies in a nasty manner that suggests the involvement of animal rights activists, whose ranks include a mousy heiress, a strident woman leader, a huge bear of a man with a ramshackle Brooklyn house full of cats and dogs, and another man with a history of psychotic behavior who lives in a seedy hotel. Among the police who investigate the murder are macho officer Tony Perelli and homicide detective Karen Levinson, who are locked on a love/hate romantic seesaw. Black journalist Yolanda Prince is also unofficially sleuthing on the case. High on the list of suspects are the couple who employed the dead woman, whose fur business is slumping, and animal rights activists, who throw red paint on women wearing furs. Since readers already know who the killer is, the only mystery is the identity of the person pulling the strings, and that is not compelling enough to sustain interest. (Jan.)