The Cherry Blossom Corpse

The many fans of Scotland Yard's Perry Trethowan will savor his adventures in this 15th elegantly satiric mystery by Barnard. This time around Perry is escorting his timid sister Christobel to a meeting of romance writers in Norway. Flaunting her fame, Amanda Fairchild (nee Maureen Jane Shottery) stands out in the company of authors for Bills and Coo and other publishers from around the world. But the real queen present is Lorelei Zuckerman, who signs her runaway bestsellers ""le Neve.'' Lorelei remains aloof from the gathering, waited on slavishly by a cowed employee, Felicity Maxwell. These two have a perfect alibi on the night when Perry finds Amanda drowned in a pool beside a cherry tree (a jibe at the victim's Hearts in Cherry Blossom Time, but the inspector includes them in his list of suspects to be carefully scrutinized. In the denouement, a shockingly inhuman plot is disclosed. Barnard's wit is as sharp as ever; depictions of Norwegian scenic splendors and food are extra attractions. (July 24)