Murder is the Deal of the Day: A Gil and Claire Hunt Mystery

Veteran anthologist, editor and author Randisi (the Nick Delvecchio series, etc.) teams up with Matthews, a poet and playwright, to create the appealing sleuthing duo of Gil and Claire Hunt. The St. Louis couple, each married for the second time, have found marital bliss and professional contentment, Gil as a bookstore owner and Claire as the host of a local home-shopping TV show. When a serial killer starts murdering women in the St. Louis area, leaving the victims ""watching"" a videotape of Claire's show, the police naturally want to question Claire. With the police making little headway on the case and one hard-nosed homicide detective fingering Claire as the primary suspect, Gil and Claire decide to take matters into their own hands. As they explore the victims' backgrounds, they are drawn into a world of gambling and shopping compulsions--and also of danger, particularly to Claire, who may become the killer's next target. While the potential for bibliomystery remains untapped despite Gil's profession, the TV business is convincingly detailed, the St. Louis setting is well drawn and the bantering interplay of Gil and Claire will leave readers looking forward to a sequel. (Jan.)