THE MAN EVERYBODY WAS AFRAID OF, by Joseph Hansen; Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 181 pp., $7.95. A local gay activist is charged with murdering the brutal police chief of a small California resort town. The chief hated almost everyone, especially homosexuals, and was much hated in return. Dave Brandstetter, homosexual insurance investigator, in checking the death claim for his company uncovers the chief's unpleasant side activi-

ties. Low key; professional.