A DEATH IN PARIS

The author of the sedate suspenser Passage (1983) introduces genteel Chief Inspector Alex Grismolet of the SûretÉ to solve the riddle of who shot aging free-lance diplomat Andrew Wilson. But though Fuller provides an unusually elaborate tour of possible suspects--Wilson's iron-willed, alcoholic photojournalist wife; his adoring concierge; his ancient war-buddy; a Libyan boy who admits robbing the corpse--the interest swiftly focuses on Wilson's obsession with avenging the death of his brother, shot down by a German flying ace in WW I. Alex's dilemma of what to do with his budding unofficial ward, Phillipa, adds some charm, but the leisurely storytelling--though it includes a contemporary dogfight and a great scene in an airport women's room--reveals all too few twists and surprises. Mostly for Red Baron nostalgia buffs, who'll appreciate the genuine, if minor, stiff-upper-lip virtues of Fuller's civilized prose.