Reunion on Neverend

Though Stith (Manhattan Transfer, Redshift Rendezvous) is known for his engrossing SF adventures, his latest is a listless mystery/thriller in SF trappings. On the planet Neverend, where everyone lives in caverns and tunnels carved out of the rock, a kindly museum curator is brutally killed by an unknown intruder. Months later, old pals Lan Dillion and Parke Brenlek arrive for their high-school reunion on Neverend, where, among others, they encounter Tessa Farlon, Lan's old flame and daughter of the murdered curator. Learning that Tessa has been recently threatened, Lan and Parke determine to protect her from her new enemies-who, it seems, want her to sell them the museum, which conceals a secret interplanetary gateway that fits into their plans to commit a foolproof heist. Can Lan, Parke and Tessa stop these villains? Stith plods through this hokey tale, where narrative threads that take up entire chapters vanish without a trace and where several alien worlds (including Neverend) are no more convincing than watercolor backdrops. (Aug.)