Repulse Monkey

Divorced auto mechanic Alex Glauberman sets aside his wrenches and a marriage proposal to solve three murders in this uneven but diverting sequel to Return to Sender. At first, he simply wants to find out why his daughter's baby-sitter has disappeared. His interest deepens when the girl's boyfriend, Scat Johnston, is found murdered. Scat had earlier run down another `run down' as in killed with a car? or tracked down? Yes, run down as with a car. I think that's clear young woman who may have been involved in high-class hooking at a ski resort. And it turns out that Scat, whose wealthy, quasi-Brahmin father, Graham, helped build the resort, was a drug dealer. All of this is sorted out after Alex drives north to the White Mountains where`where'? the story picks up an engaging pace that leads to a strong ending with fine narrative. However, a poorly rendered subtext implies that Glauberman's drive to save ``damsels in distress'' is a way of coping with cancer. But this important leitmotif is underplayed until Cluster trumpets it at the end. Integrating it more explicitly into the plot would have added needed dimension. (Dec.)