Death of a Salesperson, and Other Untimely Exits

Cosmopolitan wit and sheer inventiveness mark the novels of this British author ( Death and the Chaste Apprentice ). He also excels at the short story, as demonstrated in this first collection of 15 tales that serve up grisly fun as well as sobering tragedy. In the title story, Davina, a sweet, maidenly woman, is scorned by the ``Originals,'' a group of relentlessly noncomformist types, including clever Mike. Soon Mike stuns his fellow rebels by announcing his engagement to Davina, thus inadvertently inciting her murder and the reader's fierce need to know whodunit. The other 14 stories are also crackerjack, particularly ``The Woman in the Wardrobe,'' the secret life of whose title character is revealed after her death; and the hilarious ``Breakfast Television,'' about a fatal romance exposed by a hidden camera. (Jan.)