Talk

Superstar talk-show diva Jessica Wright rules the prime-time airwaves, until an unknown admirer, who has been leaving her anonymous gifts and intimate notes, turns into a deadly stalker who is watching her every move. Reprint.

A padded, paint-by-numbers stalker tale that takes on the trendy subject of TV talk shows. Jessica Wrights the host, but (at least in her own mind and seemingly in the authors) her shows no tabloid fodder. Instead, the winning, red-haired, amply endowed Jessica fancies herself the heart and soul of the masses, dispensing advice along with personal stories about her own fight with alcoholism and self-destructive behavior. But, truth be told, Jessicas show sounds just like every other talk show, and Jessica herself like a typically self-obsessed TV personality, in spite of her harped-on failed relationships and battle with booze. In fact, all the characters at DBS seem familiar: the Diane Sawyerlook-alike anchor Alexandra, whose dramatic secret turns out to be a not-so-shocking lesbian romance with a young starlet who smacks of Anne Heche; the mousy personal assistant with a fixation on Jessica; and the good-ole-boy producer Willwhose charisma more than makes up for his average looks. When Jessica acquires a stalker named Leopold, its no surprise that literally everyones a suspect, from the security guard to Jessicas nearest and dearest, including Will, with whom shes suddenly fallen in love. The violent death of Bea Blakely, the wannabe assistant, and the preponderance of obsessive love notes addressed to Jessica, have everyone at the station on edge. And so, two professional bodyguardstough-as-nails Wendy and shady Dentonare hired to tail Jessica day and night. When shes finally kidnaped, it comes as something of a relief. No surprises here, but Van Wormer (Just For the Summer, 1997, etc.) once again does deliver the goodsthe usual thrills, chills, and dazzling wardrobes that fans look for in a lightweight late-summer read. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.