I.O.U.

A crisply competent amateur sleuth in past outings (No Body, etc.), New England's Jenny Cain is devastated by her mother's death after long years in a psychiatric hospital. Depressed, guilt-ridden and mystified by some disquieting incidents at the funeral, Jenny sets out to explore the background of her mother's illness and the demise of Cain's Clams, the family fishery business, run into bankruptcy years ago-supposedly by Jenny's handsome, philandering, rather stupid father. Her search, aided by stalwart policeman husband Geof, produces lots of answers and lots of anger-from her mother's doctor, priest, best friend and others-among them members of the board of trustees of the Port Frederick Civic Association of which Jenny is director, some of whom profited mightily f rom the downfall of Cain's Clams. Minor tracts on the evils of old-boy networking and censorship in the arts don't help a teary saga that's more soap opera than mystery and not too interesting as either.