The Fear in Yesterday's Rings: A Mongo Mystery

Chesbro's ( The Language of Cannibals ) latest Mongo mystery is a bizarre tale featuring a canine-like menace called a lobox, a heretofore extinct species revitalized by clever genetic engineering and inbreeding. The men responsible for these mutant creatures are also the operators of The World Circus. PI Mongo Frederickson and old friend Harper Rhys-Whitney, snake charmer turned herpetologist, hope to purchase The World Circus for its former owner and their old boss, Phil Statler, who years ago had transformed Mongo from an insecure dwarf into ``Mongo the Magnificent,'' a talented acrobat and animal handler. While in the Midwest trying to locate the circus owners, Mongo and Rhys-Whitney begin to suspect that the grisly murders which the tabloids call the work of werewolves are in some way connected to The World Circus and its brilliant but evil owners. Mongo, as always, is a likable character. But a weak story and an almost total lack of suspense make this mystery a miss. (Mar.)