Murder in Los Angeles

The shades of Raymond Chandler and Ross Macdonald would be disturbed that their names, in Thomas Chastain's introduction to this collection, are taken in vain. Macdonald's is even misspelled, a foretaste of the eight stories that lack bite, intelligent plotting and color. Hollywood, Malibu, Venice and the sprawling city are invoked only dimly, and almost every character is a cardboard cut-out we've met before. Fans of the classics and new readers should be warned away from this bottom-drawer collection. Classicists will be offended and newcomers will be baffled. Gault's ""The Kerman Kill'' and Russell's ``Dong-Dong, The Lizard's Dead'' offer the only hope, but even they fizzle out. Fox's ``Return to Venice'' and Henderson's ``Dream House'' are hopelessly old-fashioned, the latter featuring a threatened heroine who'd have been a cliche 30 years ago. The other stories are only silly. 75,000 first printing. (February 23)