Cold Call

Cliched characters and a predictable plot contribute to the formulaic flavor of this shallow first mystery. Alejandro ``Alley'' Munoz, a handicapped man who worked as a gofer at an L.A. banking firm, was often mocked by the firm's self-absorbed young execs; after Alley is murdered, his loyal defender, investment banker Iris Thorne, opens an envelope he'd recently given her. The key inside opens a safe-deposit box containing $200,000 and valuable stock certificates. Shortly thereafter, Iris overhears some shifty co-workers refer to a thwarted stock-market scam. Refusing to believe Alley was an embezzler, Iris hides her findings from the LAPD, even though the investigating detective turns out to be a former college beau. Brash and tough, with an MBA from UCLA, Iris is also depicted as a shopaholic with weaknesses for expensive trinkets, casual sex and makeup, characterizations that make her hard to take seriously even when she's being harassed by repugnant, chauvinistic colleagues. The action pulls together the transfers of millions of dollars, the demands of unforgiving loan sharks, another murder and near-death for Iris, who, after all the action winds down, can still log in 25 cold calls before noon. (Sept.)