THE GIRLS ON THE 10th FLOOR And Other Stories

That TV man, taking time off for writing, turns out, another batch of tales -- this time edging into sociological religious areas along with a touch of science fiction, a broad joke and something of a reminiscence. The joke is the title story in which a bartender sends some tough guys to the House of Detention for a date; there's a fanatic who would bomb a plane to wake its passengers to God, another who harangues that Earth in Hades, while a third is a and a martyr. There are missionaries killed on their assignments, a case of infantilism, a white killing a black, a phony entertainment award, a farewell to a bass player, letters from a psycho, a dialogue during an affair, a moving picture star back with her family. A quicksilvering of observation, patter and lingo, brighten and lighten these.