FICTIONTHE FOURTH DURANGO by Ross Thomas (Mysterious:...

FICTION

THE FOURTH DURANGO by Ross Thomas (Mysterious: $4.95). Smallest of the four; this fictional locale compensates by providing a small service for a large fee to erstwhile lawbreakers.

MANIFEST DESTINY: A True Romantic Saga of Young Theodore Roosevelt by Brian Garfield (Penzler: $5.95). Author uses literary license to embellish certain aspects of the 26th President’s life.

WEST END by Laura Van Wormer (St. Martin’s: $5.95). Sequel to “Riverside Drive” showcasing the private life of a very public female news anchor.

INTERLOPER by Richard Martin Stern (Pocket: $3.95). Police Lt. Johnny Ortiz is not convinced that even in historical Santo Cristo bodies dropping from the sky is a normal event.

THE WIDOWS’ ADVENTURES by Charles Dickinson (Avon: $8.95). The fact that one doesn’t drive and the other can’t see does not discourage two elderly sisters from driving across country.

NONFICTION

SHELLEY WINTERS: Shelley II by Shelley Winters (Pocket: $5.95). An earlier autobiography made the best-seller lists; now Winters continues with the wildest and worst of her mid-life years.

VANISHING TRACKS: Four Years Among the Snow Leopards of Nepal by Darla Hillard (Quill: $12.95). Along with a zoologist, former secretary Hillard undertook a noted study of these cats, as well as career move.

VALHALLA’S WAKE: The IRA, M16, and the Assassination of a Young American (Harper: $4.50). John McIntyre’s parents allege a conspiracy/cover-up in the disappearance of their son after an aborted attempt to deliver arms to the IRA.

THE ACTING PRESIDENT by Bob Schieffer and Gary Paul Gates (Dutton: $9.95). Correspondents respond to the question “Who’s in charge here?” at the Reagan White House.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER: Artists and Writers on Baseball (Chronicle: $18.95). Read the words and examine the art of the luminaries who share a passion for the sport. (Coincides with a traveling exhibition currently at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art.)

SELF-HELP / REFERENCE

HOPSCOTCH, HANGMAN, HOT POTATO, AND HA, HA, HA: A Rulebook of Children’s Games by Jack Maguire (Prentice Hall: $13.95). Next time you hear the cry “S/he’s cheating!” you be the judge with this text explaining the origins, rules and objectives of 250 games.

MISS MARY MAC ALL DRESSED IN BLACK by Scott E. Hastings Jr. (August House: $8.95). Childhood jump-rope rhymes, counting-out rhymes and children’s lore are instructive and entertaining--and bear a small resemblance to today’s rap music.