Fly Me to the Morgue: A Rat Pack Mystery

Set in 1962, Randisi's so-so sixth Rat Pack mystery (after January 2011's I'm a Fool to Kill You) offers plenty of Hollywood glamor but only a by-the-numbers plot. At the invitation of Dean Martin, Eddie Gianelli, the pit boss at Las Vegas's Sands casino, comes to Del Mar, Calif., to attend the Bing Crosby Handicap, a horse race. At Crosby's request, Eddie, who has served the Rat Pack as a discreet trouble-shooter, brings his sidekick, Jerry Epstein, who knows a lot about horses, to a thoroughbred ranch, Red Rock Farm, to help assess a horse that the singer is considering buying. At Red Rock Farm, the trio are shocked to find the animal's owner has been beaten to death. Once again, Eddie and Jerry turn sleuths. The inclusion of a host of celebrities from the early '60s will strike some readers as more gimmicky than intriguing. (July)