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If you've ever wanted to kill someone responsible for a TV talk show, this book's for you. Star, a former entertainment-industry executive, ably combines mystery and romance with an insider's look at the high-pressure daytime talk-show circuit. May Morrison, newly promoted executive producer of Paula Live, is a competitive, stressed-out, divorced mother of two daughters with a dilapidated suburban house and a string of unsatisfactory au pairs. When James Barnett, producer of a rival program, is killed, May, who vied with Barnett for guests, tops the police list of suspects. After two more talk-show producers who gave May trouble are murdered, she is forced to clear herself before her ex-husband demands custody of the girls. Meanwhile, the cops investigating the cases are giving May fits: young, pushy Paradiso is determined to prove May guilty; the more experienced Paul O'Donnell thinks she's innocent but knows his judgment may be blinded by the sparks that fly between him and May. Star packs in too many subplots--legal entanglements, nagging mother, child-care disasters, suspicious co-workers--but keeps the reader guessing until the suspenseful climax. A promising relationship between May and Paul should enhance the sequel, especially if Star continues to portray the cutthroat world of daytime TV with the wit and verve evident here. (July)