Death of a Merry Widow

Relying more on its puzzle pieces-assorted crimes, plot twists, action scenes and a dash of psychological complication-than character development, the American debut of this British writer lacks heart. Detective Chief Inspector Sidney Walsh of the Cambridgeshire CID investigates the murder of Maureen Helmont, college tutor and pseudonymous author of steamy romances, in the convalescent home where she was recovering from a hysterectomy. Sociable (especially with married men) but ``insular,'' Helmont told friends she would be vacationing in Holland, not in the hospital. Was she found out and killed by the person who recently ransacked her apartment or someone mentioned in the kiss-and-tell memoirs her publisher requested? Or by the moonstruck pest who was chased away by another admirer or by a relative impatient for a substantial inheritance? Walsh and his staff conduct inquiries in a style so mundane that their findings seem almost fantastic. They aren't quick enough to prevent a second murder but come to understand that if they have their villain right, a third could be in the offing. (Jan.)