To the Editor:

I'm sure you receive many letters of dismay and complaint over book reviews, and of course nothing is perfect - still, how can I tell you how deeply you have hurt me by publishing Jonathan Coleman's review (April 26) of my new novel, ''The True Detective''? The degree of unfairness is what is so extreme or, believe me, I would not be sitting here feeling as if I have witnessed the very authorities commit a terrible crime.

The book in question is one I worked on for more than five years, and it came alive, and it does work - it is relevant and it is compelling - and the responses I've received from others and in earlier reviews have been genuine, extravagant, even passionate. Yet you chose to give it a short review, inconspicuously placed, and - and I just cannot deal with this - your reviewer did not even understand what he read.

I repeat: your reviewer did not even understand what he read.

And you printed it. You break my heart. You owe me much more than an apology. THEODORE WEESNER Pittsburgh