EASY IN THE ISLANDS <i> by Bob Shacochis (Penguin: $7.95) </i>

Languid, sultry and rum-soaked, Bob Shacochis’ stories capture the heady atmosphere of the Caribbean islands. The title story, about the proprietor of a broken-down hotel who finds himself stuck with his mother’s corpse in the freezer, is reminiscent of a “Fawlty Towers” episode. A petty grifter, who gets into trouble when he tries to go jogging, extricates himself through his improbably lofty connections in the weirder “Hot Day on the Gold Coast.” The most impressive story in this mixed collection is “Lord Short Shoe Wants the Monkey,” a cautionary tale about a reggae musician who slyly exploits a conniving white man’s lust to achieve his aims.