Noblesse Oblige

Heroine Emma Rhodes is smart, anti-feminist and less than humble. A private detective for the rich, Rhodes is not above flashing a little cleavage to get the job done and can't understand why her ""fictional"" counterparts ""dress in schmattes, dwell in squalor, and wallow in poverty."" In Belgium on holiday, Rhodes takes on a Middle Eastern terrorist group to save a kidnapped member of the royal family. Along the way, she beds the country's top cop, outwits the Mossad and learns to make chopped liver. For the launch of this new mystery series, Smith offers fast dialogue and clever characterizations but it is more a charming character study than an effective whodunit. (Nov.)