The Search for Sonny Skies

Despite the favorable reception of this legendary film star's 1991 autobiography, it will likely surprise even Rooney's devoted fans to discover, with this faintly Raymond Chandleresque first novel, that he has genuine skill as a storyteller. Down on his luck, former high-rolling movie columnist Jay Richards uncovers a forgotten reel of film containing the screen test of '40s-era MGM child actor Sonny Skies, who, parachuting into Normandy on D-Day, became the only screen star killed in combat during WWII. When Jay is contacted by cable-TV exec Elle McBrien regarding a 50th-anniversary documentary on the invasion, the pair stumble onto a number of surprises, not the least of which is that they already know each other from AA. Then Sonny's casket turns up missing from its French cemetery, and Jay and Elle's efforts to uncover the truth lead them into a murky maze of murder, infidelity and Machiavellian influence in high places. Along the way, although Elle is 15 years Jay's junior, the two act on their libidinous attraction, as they encounter an ill-assorted cast of characters who are intriguingly reminiscent of Hollywood notables of a bygone era. Though Rooney occasionally stumbles as a fledgling literary stylist, his ability to spin a yarn is indisputable. Author tour. (Jan.)