THE SLEEPERS OF ERIN

Antique maven Lovejoy returns--in an Irish outing that begins when he's approached by a rich yet shady couple: the Heindricks, who want Lovejoy's services for some undisclosed assignment in Kilfinney. But Lovejoy is suspicious (his forger-pal Joxer has died in a fishy fire)--and so he takes off on his own to figure out what's up at Kilfinney, with Irish nurse Sinead as his breezy sidekick. Some comic/scenic journeying ensues, from Dublin to Limerick. Lovejoy is periodically captured or chased by the Heindricks (with seduction by chic Lena H.). Eventually he winds up in their Irish manse, forced to help them in a ""sleeper"" seam: they plan to bury a set of fake ancient gold torcs (with one real one), then ""discover"" them in a cave--and sell them to hoodwinked buyers as super-valuable antiquities. And though Lovejoy must go along with the scheme, doing the dirty/dangerous work of burying the torcs, he finally arranges a double-cross. . . and gets hold of that one authentic tore for himself. The usual Lovejoy mixture--some derring-do, some humor, some womanizing, some mini-lectures (including one on breast jewelry)--in a slightly-above-average installment.