30 FOR A HARRY

A ""Harry"" is a newspaperman who takes bribes to suppress stories--and in his second outing Seattle shamus John Denson (Decoys), who happens to be an ex-newsman, is hired by the publisher and editor of the Seattle Star to go undercover at the paper and ascertain whether star reporter Wes Haggard is a ""Harry."" But Demon has hardly begun snooping when Haggard (along with two others) is found murdered. And though Denson, falling for a comely colleague, stays on the case and unearths some evidence of a Haggard coverup (involving a Japanese corporation), his suspicions are soon diverted to the very men who hired him. Inquiries into police corruption, sex-photo shops, and newspaper-stock manipulations ensue--with a not-very-surprising showdown with the evil mastermind at the close. Still, if the plotting here is routine, Hoyt does well with the news-room atmosphere. And Demon remains one of the more likable, low-key new West Coast shamuses around.