City of Lies

In this disappointing first mystery from TV screenwriter and author McCabe ( Bad News at Black Rock ), crime journalist Mike Kincaid relates how he was drawn into solving the murder of Stephen Lister, the playboy art director of the glossy New York City magazine. After Lister is found murdered in his apartment, along with large quantities of drugs and the makings of snuff films, Kincaid's friend Virginia Danbury, associate publisher of City , calls on him for moral support while the police are questioning her. Kincaid scoops the story; while following it, he becomes romantically involved with one of Lister's former girlfriends, and when the latter becomes a suspect, Kincaid is torn between his professional responsibilities and his feelings for her. He simultaneously solves his dilemma and the crime in an overly neat, unconvicing surprise ending. Kincaid's muted narration blunts the story's suspense and drains the resolution of excitement. (Jan.)