GOING LOCAL

Jamie Harrison''s first novel, The Edge of the Crazies, gained her many devoted readers and rave reviews. Now, in Going Local, her lively and hilarious case of characters from Blue Deer, Montana, is back - featuring Jules Clement, the conscience and unlikely protector of the local populace. The novel begins as Blue Deer inhabitants are gearing up for the annual Fourth of July rodeo, with out-of-towners descending upon the town ''in a kind of berserk westward ho.'' As Jules helps the hapless bar owners and other local merchants gear up for the onslaught, a shocking murder is discovered - that of a well-known environmental lawyer, who, while camping out with his younger lover, was run over by a truck and dumped into a lake, still wrapped in his tent. As Jules begins to investigate the murder, he uncovers a suspicious land development deal involving the dead lawyer and many others, including Hugh, a suave British director who''s planning a movie that threatens to bring all of Blue Deer to a complete stop; Slyvia, the lawyer''s ex, who''s having an affair with Huge; Everett, a local boy who left town and made good; and Diane, a sexy blonde to whose dubious charms Jules succumbs: ''She''s like a mob car - you get in, and all the locks go down.'' As if the impending movie shoot isn''t bad enough, the annual rodeo threatens to drive everyone in town batty. Tempers flare as out-of-towners try to be cowboys, as true locals attempt ridiculous heroics, and multiple murders ignite the town in the midst of amorous goings-on. Jules is as charming as ever, and readers who enjoyed the hijinks in Jamie Harrison''s first novel will love Going Local.