Painted Truth: An Alix Thorssen Mystery

Set in Jackson, Wyo., where the Old West merges with upscale art galleries and white-water rafting concessions, this lightening-fast adventure has enough false trails to stock a national park. Introduced in The Bluejay Shaman, the self-mocking narrator Alix Thorssen (``semiprosperous art dealer, so-so kayaker, single girl, thirty-something'') faces upheaval and betrayal on all sides. Her gallery and her partnership with the wildly appealing Paolo Segundo seem to be at a crossroads. When a neighboring gallery goes up in a spectacular blaze and the body of a local artist (``He was big in the seventies'') is found inside, Alix is drawn into the case as an appraiser and finds herself wondering why the police were so quick to label the crime arson/suicide. Of course, she's right. But not as right as she thinks; what she doesn't know nearly kills her and does kill someone close to her. As Alix pursues an investigation that ultimately pits her professional self-interest against her ethics, the plot, which relies on speed more than finesse, takes a skid here and there. But Alix, fueled by endless cups of coffee and a lot of angst, more than makes up for the shortcomings. (Dec.)