Beach Blanket Books

New this week:

WILD HORSES by Dick Francis (G.P. Putnam’s Sons: $22.95). Thomas Lyon opts for filmmaking instead of the horse-racing trade of his ancestors. In true Francis style, though, he doesn’t veer far from the track; his latest movie revives a 25-year-old mystery surrounding the death of a trainer’s wife.

PRETTY BOY FLOYD by Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana (Simon & Schuster: $24). In his first collaborative novel, McMurtry gives the quintessential American tragic-hero a voice. Charley Floyd, a depression-era bandit who tried--sometimes with hilarious results--to rise above his meager station in life. (Also available on audiocassette.)

THE GOOD HUSBAND by Gail Godwin (Ballantine: $22.95). Marriage in this novel strikes the delicate balance between love and loathing. As cancer penetrates Prof. Magda Danver’s body, she ruminates on just who is the good husband; her own or Death. (Also available on audiocassette).

NOTHING LASTS FOREVER by Sidney Sheldon (William Morrow: $23). Five years ago, Dr. Paige Taylor was a fledgling intern. Now on trial for a possible mercy killing, she examines the proceedings that have led her to this juncture.