Movie Cat

Welcome to Empty Creek, Ariz., where all the women are voluptuous, all the men are adoring and everyones horny. Blame it on the water, says ex-marine Penelope Warren, now a bookstore owner and amateur sleuth. In the latest episode (after Dinosaur Cat) of Allens series featuring Penelope and her fat cat, Mycroft (aka Big Mike), Empty Creek is invaded by a B-movie film crew. Director C.D. Masterly and his company are in town to shoot a low-budget western starring Penelope, her sister, Stormy, and most of the towns women as saloon floozies. Before the filming gets underway, however, Masterly is found murdered in his rented villa, and everyone in the crewactresses, writers, female companionsis suspect. As a new director begins shooting and the sexual antics heat up, Penelope begins her search for the killer. Allens plot gets dragged down by Empty Creeks steamy capers, and Mycrofts part in the long saga is disappointingly small. None of the characters, including Penelope, are standouts in this town, where the ladies are intelligent bombshells and the men are dumb, at best. Other than Mycrofts standard feline feats, this novels best feature is an exciting conclusion in which the movie shoots explosive finale exposes the killer. (May)