Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints

There will be a brisk demand for Sobol's new book about the boy detective whose adventures have been bestsellers for years. Lively drawings by Owens illustrate 10 cases that Leroy (Encyclopedia) solves and invites readers to puzzle out. In the title story, it seems that odd handprints will make a wheelchair-bound guest a suspect in the theft of his host's valuables. But Encyclopedia recognizes the red herring, absolves the innocent and clinches the case against the culprit. The clues are presented fairly and the solutions are appended for stumped whodunit fans. A simultaneous publication is Encyclopedia Brown's 3rd Record Book of Weird & Wonderful Facts, with pictures by Sal Murdocca; $10.25 ISBN 0-688-05705-5 . (812)