DEAD BEAT

McDermid (Open and Shut, Report for Murder) introduces tough- minded Manchester, England, p.i. Kate Brannigan. In a first outing, Kate agrees to hunt for black rock-star Jett's former partner/lyricist/soulmate Moira, who left Jett and took up heroin, prostitution, and lesbianism. Kate finds her, but then—after six weeks in Jett's mansion—Moira, coshed with a tenor sax, lies dead on the rehearsal studio floor. Whodunit? A sex-spurned Jett? His bimbo secretary of his new gal-pal? His coke-sniffing producer? His ``approved'' biographer, a sensation-seeking tabloid writer? His manager, who's feathering his nest with a cut of tour memorabilia rip-offs? Kate and her computer-whiz partner check out a few databases, while Kate's rock-critic boyfriend Richard fills them in on Jett's personal history. Kate also tinkers with an alibi or two, annoying the cops mightily, and ultimately solves the case with a clue from a reporter and some illegal hacking. Just one more sardonically-amusing-about-the-men-in-her-life female p.i. who drinks a little too much. Lacks pep, sizzle, not to mention good work ethics.