AMERICAN STORIES by Calvin Trillin (Ticknor...

AMERICAN STORIES by Calvin Trillin (Ticknor & Fields: $10.95; 194 pp.). These investigative articles from the New Yorker confirm Trillin’s reputation as one of the foremost journalists in America. His vivid profiles of the off-the-wall magicians Penn and Teller and the irreverent ice-cream makers Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield are interesting and respectful without being worshipful. But small-town scandals bring out the best in Trillin: He delights in exposing the nasty secrets hidden in seemingly respectable suburban closets. His account of a slick Missouri minister and his church secretary, who murdered their spouses to legitimize their affair, builds like a well-plotted short story.