COLUMBO: THE GRASSY KNOLL

A print debut for Colombo, the perpetually rumpled TV detective, who, here, catches a clutch of murderers and clears up the mysteries of John Kennedy's assassination. Harrington is also the author of Virus (1991), among many others. What starts out as a reasonably slick L.A. police thriller with the murder of a thoroughly believable TV talk show host, is suddenly jarred by the appearance of a long-since-canceled TV police detective, Lt. Columbo. The murder victim is Paul Drury, a typically intense and abrasive small-screen tyrant whose popularity is largely based on his intense interest in the loose ends that keep the Lee Harvey Oswald case unsettled. We know who killed Drury right off. It's his ex-wife Alicia, a good-looking blond still on his program staff. What we don't know is why. Why is answered by Lt. Columbo, who still has the French sedan, battered cigar, and rumpled raincoat that distinguished him from Rock Hudson and Dennis Weaver on Sunday nights years ago and who still closes every investigatory interview with a cute, niggling, little, last-minute question that is always of critical importance. Those cute questions quickly lead him to dispose of the fake alibis and red herrings scattered by Alicia and her wealthy boyfriend and co- conspirator Tim Bell. While Columbo busies himself following a string of clues that take him to Las Vegas and the penthouse suite of an old-line, New York mafia capo, Tim and Alicia fret and stew about the location of the late Paul Drury's safe-deposit box. Columbo, without a bit of trouble, turns up gigabytes of computer evidence that bring him to a conclusion right on schedule. His only real problem seems to be qualifying with his police pistol. The appearance of the intensely familiar character, complete with accurate speech patterns, throws a blanket on the proceedings for all but the most devoted Falk fans. Who wants to read with the TV blasting in your ear?