THE WEREWOLF MURDERS

Mysterious killings at the Olympique Scientific Internationale (an eminent astronomer, an investigating police officer, an annoying scientist turned amateur sleuth)—committed by what sounds, from the one surviving witness's account, like a werewolf—flush out formidably brainy Niccolo Benedetti and his Nick-and-Nora satellites Ron Gentry and Janet Higgins (The Hog Murders). Despite the hints of the supernatural, this is pure Agatha Christie, with negligible characters, a novel (but unconvincingly evoked) setting, ingenious clues, a most-unlikely-culprit, and a shameless theft of two of Christie's favorite clichÇs of misdirection that shouldn't fool you for a minute. For retro fans, a pleasant enough couple of hours.