This is a light, humorous mystery that revolves around Valerie Vane, a former society columnist for a prestigious New York paper, who, after “an incident,” has been demoted to writing obituaries. After a mysterious phone call alerting her to what might be a murder rather than a suicide of a previously renowned graffiti artist she slowly and somewhat reluctantly begins to get involved in uncovering this possible crime. As Valerie discovers more evidence and becomes personally involved with her prime source she reveals how she started out as a small town hick from a hippie commune with the unlikely name of Starburst Rhapsody Miller, and evolved into New York’s top lifestyle reporter with the city’s most coveted byline, only to lose it all in a whirlwind of excess. While the story is a bit heavy on the details of graffiti art and terms there’s a nice noir-like feel to the story, which is not surprising since Valerie’s favorite movies are those black and white noir classics with tough dames taking on the city in their tight skirts and stilettos. Valerie does that with her sense of humor firmly in place too. ( )