Double Date

Bert and Nan, those irrepressible identical twins from Louisville, Ky., find that dating on the Internet can lead to murder in their fourth high-spirited adventure (after Double Dealer). Bert has reason to be annoyed when Nan puts her profile on the MySoulMate Web site without her permission, especially since her bashful boyfriend, detective Hank Goetzmann, has just mentioned the ""m-word"" (i.e., marriage). After several chapters of amusing sisterly banter, Bert agrees to meet a divorced man, Derek Stanhope, who looks from his photo like a ""cross between Harrison Ford and George Clooney."" At a chance meeting, however, Derek fails to recognize Bert. What's more, there's a wedding band on his third finger. Humiliated, Bert later goes to call on Derek at home, only to find the man sitting in a car in his driveway, a bullet hole in his forehead. This being a cozy, the authors describe murder in the same sprightly tone as the rest of the action. Car and corpse suddenly disappear, leaving Bert and Nan the uphill task of convincing Derek's wife, parents, brother and secretary that their missing loved one may be dead. Amid all the wisecracking it's easy to forget that the authors have concocted a neat if simple plot, with more than one twist involving the murderer's identity. Established fans will be satisfied, and even readers who don't ordinarily go for cozies will have a hard time not getting caught up in the fun. (Jan. 2)