Baby, Would I Lie? — Donald E. Westlake

Welcome to Branson, Missouri, home of Country Music USA, big hairdos, and phony snakeskin boots. Ray Stevens and Cristy Lane are the headliners, but you bet-ter get there early because the late show's at eight. Now the most popular show in Branson is the trial of country music crooner Ray Jones. The wily, inscrutable Jones is accused of murdering a one-night stand, and the media--from the sleazy tabloid cutthroats of the Weekly Galaxy to the New York Trend-spotters Sara Joslyn and Jack Ingersoll--is having a field day. So are a whole passel of lawyers, the IRS, and thousands of gawking fans. Because, just like a satisfying country song, the trial of Ray Jones is full of cheatin' hearts, fallin' tears, and a good of surprise before the last refrain is sung.