Bag of Toys, David France's account of the psychological deterioration of chic New York art dealer Andrew Crispo and the 1985 torture murder of male model Eigil Dag Vesti by Bernard LeGeros (on Crispo's orders), is written in a lush style befitting the backdrop of this horrifying true story. There's plenty of glitz, sex and drugs, and the excesses of the Coke Decade will be the strongest selling point for many readers. What fascinates me, however, is Crispo's uncanny ability to evade the consequences of his actions. "It is my opinion," France writes in an introductory author's note, "that the detectives who worked on the murder investigation are profoundly disappointed that Crispo has so far evaded prosecution." Which begs the question: how did he manage to beat the rap?

That Crispo had friends in high places goes without saying...but who, precisely, were his connections? What were they into, and what secrets did they need to protect? LeGeros testified that, after he had shot Vesti, he was urged by Crispo to drink the victim's blood. "We always drink the blood in the cult," Crispo told LeGeros, who complied. LeGeros said that he himself was not a member of this cult, as investigative journalist Maury Terry noted in The Ultimate Evil: "That was restricted to Crispo's rich friends, so far as (LeGeros) knew." This was not a figment of the killer's imagination, as police were aware of Crispo's links to the occult scene associated largely, though not exclusively, with entertainment promoter Roy Radin (whose massive Southampton home was the site of confirmed debauchery, including the drugging and violent assault of actress Melonie Haller). Among the four people convicted of Radin's 1983 murder was professional hitman William Mentzer, whose ties to cult activity in both California and New York were numerous and well established.

The hackneyed term "Satanic Panic" may still be sputtered with contempt by self-styled sophisticates, but the objective reader will ask what cult Crispo was talking about and why he apparently took its practices so seriously. As ever, decide for yourself. ( )