BUT WHERE IS LOVE?

A pretty little Jewish girl from Brooklyn grows up to be gorgeous, fabulously talented, and miserably married to a world- famous Latin bandleader—in a roman Ö clef by Xavier Cugat's pre-Charo singing wife. An ambitious mother, oodles of natural talent, bushels of copper curls, a flawless figure, the best in voice and drama lessons, and a lucky meeting with George Abbott combine to set Julie Lehman on the fast track to Broadway stardom—until, at the tender age of 15, she's derailed by lecherous, philandering, supersuccessful middle-aged master of the Latin beat Paco Castell. Although she's just a child and can't speak a word of Spanish, Paco hires Julie to be his latest sultry songstress, taking her from the Lehman family's cramped apartment to the ultraglamorous world of ritzy hotels and swell clubs. A quick study, Julie learns foreign lingo lyrics to the big numbers by rote and, with a swivel of her flawless hips, finds that she has a gift for the stationary rhumba. She is soon selling those songs. Nasty Paco, of course, hopes to get the child between the sheets, but Julie's mother accompanies her everywhere, and the slimy cad is limited to stolen smooches until Julie, at 16, accepts his offer of marriage. The whirl accelerates. Julie sees the world and meets tons of what she invariably calls ``famous celebrities.'' Becoming more beautiful and talented with each passing year, she's the toast of three continents. But Where Is Love? Not to worry. First-time author Lane weaves in the parallel saga of a handsome, rising young Jewish theatrical lawyer and agent Steve Burton, himself the prisoner of an unhappy marriage. Steve and Julie are destined to meet, but first Julie must endure a savage beating from Paco and a cruise on the Onassis yacht. Straight from the checkout lane.