Last Tango in Brooklyn

The celebrated actor-turned-author ( Dance with the Devil ; The Gift ) serves up some interest and a few surprises in his third novel, but ultimately this hackneyed tale of a May/December romance between an aging personal trainer and a young medical librarian suffers from too many cliches. After a chance meeting, Ben and Ellen cohabit when Ellen's previous roommate leaves her with a stack of bills and Ben's house is tied up in escrow following the death of his wife. When Ellen's boyfriend, Richard, a world-famous heart transplant specialist at the hospital where both work, betrays her for a sexy nurse, Ben convinces Ellen that age and beauty are a compatible combination, despite the fact that virtually everyone around them disapproves of their relationship. Several trite subplots include Ben's near-fatal helicopter crash, Richard's scheme to procure a heart illegally so he can save a dying Japanese millionaire and, as the book ends, the vague possibility of an illness that could incapacitate Ellen. Douglas's rudimentary storytelling skills are stretched beyond their limits in this one. Author tour . (July)