Blood Lies

This murder mystery about the horsey set is lamed by an uneven plot and unconvincing protagonists. Ted Whysse, the prodigal son of a rich owner of a Kentucky horse farm called Holyhead, is shocked to learn of the death of his friend, jockey Alejo Asolo. Acting on police suspicions of foul play, Ted returns to Holyhead, where Alejo worked, to sniff out the killer. Watchful Ted trots after his sister, Jean; his young, sexy stepmother, Lucky; and Kappy Huff, the manager who stands to marry Lucky after Ted's comatose father dies. While Anderson ( King of the Roses ) tosses in some diverting twists and colorful scenery, she introduces discrepancies aplenty, particularly in Ted's and Lucky's behavior. For instance, Ted initially misleads the police about his identity but makes no attempt to conceal it from them later. Anderson further handicaps her prose with sexist and cliched passages (Lucky is ``a weary, frightened creature just begging to be taken up in someone's arms''). (Dec.)