THE DEED

A missing 17th-century deed to the island of Manhattan has a young advertising executive, a pretty law student and a couple of mobsters in a tailspin in Blanchard's featherweight debut novel. Twenty-three-year-old Jason Hansvoort, a grunt at an advertising firm (he's currently working on a campaign for "Hair Peace," a toupee that's "supposed to soothe itchy scalps and provide an appetizing 'wet look'"), is approached by a mysterious, sexy-voiced law student named Amanda. Her research has led her to believe that Jason is the last living descendant of a Dutch family that was deeded the island of Manhattan centuries ago—in other words, Jason stands to inherit the mother lode. The proof is in an ancient scroll, hidden somewhere in the city. Is all this for real? After much skepticism, Jason indulges the possibility of a potential windfall—but first, he has to find the document. Two stereotypically slapstick mobster goons with big casino plans are hot to find the deed as well. A treasure map, a graveyard, a charming if fairly tame romantic interlude and a showdown in the shadow of Lady Liberty drive the quest to its somewhat anticlimactic finale. The premise is silly and the resolution much sillier, but Maxim magazine editor-in-chief Blanchard is on solid ground depicting the worldly routine of contemporary New Yorkers and the inner life of a male in his early 20s. He keeps the pace fast and the dialogue light and mildly amusing, though not quite razor-sharp. The babe quota is relatively low, but Maxim readers should enjoy this literary confection anyway. Agent, John D. Diamond. (Mar. 4)