Follow That Blonde

Smith ( Capriccio ) mixes romance and mystery with a touch of humor in this amusing, though slight, story of amateurs on the trail of an international art scam. While touring Europe with her cousin Nancy Bankes, Lana Morton spots Bert Garr, a former high school classmate. (In portraying Bert, Lana and Nancy as American hicks, Smith snipes tritely at the oft-maligned city of Troy, N.Y.) The unpopular Bert--known as ``Pig Eyes'' in his school days--has changed in the interim, and now acts as the agent for Nick Hansen, a talented American painter based in Rome. Bert's European life is not without problems, however. When he drags the women to Nick's show, Lana suspects they're being used as protection: someone is following Bert. The trio becomes a foursome when Nick reluctantly agrees to escort Lana, giving Bert a clear field with Nancy. Then Nick spots a photo of one of his paintings in an art magazine--attributed to an unknown artist named Frageau. It takes odd disguises, hair-raising car rides and the aid of Interpol to solve the mystery and sort out the romances, but all comes right at the end. (Aug.)