Princess

A runaway bestseller in Britain, this thriller moves media darling Diana, Princess of Wales, from supermarket checkout racks to bookstore shelves. On an informal motorcycle outing with Spain's King Juan Carlos, Diana is abducted by Basque terrorists, who threaten to kill her if their demands are not met in five days. Spanish and English authorities mount a top-secret rescue operation, installing a Spanish look-alike ``Princess.'' Playboyish Inspector Julio Martinez teams with dour James Decker, taken from deep cover in Ireland, to follow slim leads in Madrid while the look-alike keeps up appearances and the real, captive Di gets a clue to her rescuers. Readers may learn something new about ETA, the leftist Basque organization, but will garner little more about Charles and Di than the gossip already available in the gushier tabloids. First serial to Redbook. (Apr.)