Fiction

In Acevedo's debut, vampire P.I. Felix Gomez is asked by old college chum Gilbert Odin, a bureaucrat at Colorado's Rock Flats nuclear facility, to investigate an outbreak of nymphomania among some of the female employees. While interviewing the three ladies first affected by the nymphomania, Felix discovers that the Prozac used to treat their symptoms is no cure-all. Each of them comes on strong to Felix, who cannot easily dissuade them—even with his vaunted vampire powers. Further, the information he manages to glean from them is only partially helpful. Adding to his troubles, and that of other undead in the area, is a gang of Romanian vampire hunters. Time after time, Felix proves to be quite inept at almost any task, and the other nosferatu, including vampire patriarch Bob, are not much better. It is obvious from the title that this is intended to be a humorous treatment of the vampire legend, but while parts of the novel are mildly amusing, most attempts at humor bomb. [This is the first book in a new vampire series.—Ed.]—Patricia Altner, Information Seekers, Columbia, MD

Archer, Jeffrey. False Impression. St. Martin's. Mar. 2006. c.384p. ISBN 0-312-35372-3 [ISBN 978-0-312-35372-8]. $27.95. F

Consummate storyteller Archer (e.g., Sons of Fortune) is back in top form with his latest thriller. It's September 2001, and banker Bryce Fenston is being tailed by the FBI because several of his high-profile clients have died under mysterious circumstances, leaving Fenston Finance in control of rare art assets. When the owner of a priceless Van Gogh self-portrait is murdered at her English estate, FBI agent Jack Delany is ready to swoop in on Fenston and the bank's art historian, Anna Petrescu. Anna, however, is one of the good guys, ready to risk her career (and her life) to save the painting from Fenston's clutches. Before she can take control of the situation, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center occurs, leaving Anna presumed dead, which she uses to her advantage. A whirlwind, worldwide chase begins, with both the FBI and Fenston's paid assassin after Anna and the famous painting. Archer's usual plot twists and fast pace make for an enjoyable page-turner. His harrowing description of what it may have been like to escape the Twin Towers on 9/11 will haunt readers. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/05.]—Rebecca Vnuk, River Forest P.L., IL

Berry, Steve. The Templar Legacy. Ballantine. Feb. 2006. c.496p. ISBN 0-345-47615-8. $24.95. F

Berry's third thriller (after The Amber Room and The Third Secret) is not to be missed. The first in a planned series of four books featuring Cotton Malone, a former U.S. Justice Department agent turned Copenhagen bookseller, this work takes on the legend of the Knights Templar, a rich and powerful order of knights supposedly stamped out in the early 14th century—but not before hiding a legendary cache of wealth. Cotton joins forces with former boss Stephanie Nelle to investigate the recent surprise appearance of a journal belonging to her deceased husband, a leading researcher of the treasure of the Knights Templar. Cotton and Stephanie quickly discover that the Knights Templar is far from extinct and will do just about anything to prevent them from discovering its secrets. Anagrams and complicated symbology abound, and comparisons to The Da Vinci Code are inevitable, but Berry distinguishes himself with a complex, well-written, and extremely readable story. Highly recommended for all public libraries.—Andrea Y. Griffith, Loma Linda Univ. Libs., CA

Boyne, John. Crippen: A Novel of Murder. Thomas Dunne Bks: St. Martin's. Mar. 2006. c.352p. ISBN 0-312-34358-2 [ISBN 978-0-312-34358-3]. $24.95. F

“The truth always outs,” states Inspector Dew of Scotland Yard. Or does it? Boyne (The Thief of Time) blends fact, fiction, and supposition in a suspenseful tale based on the 1910 transatlantic pursuit of Dr. Hawley Crippen for the murder and brutal dismemberment of his wife, Cora. The novel seamlessly blends several story lines, following Hawley and lover Ethel, disguised as father and son, as they board a cruise ship headed for Canada (and, they hope, freedom) while also tracing the life of Hawley and of those connected to him from his infancy to his execution for Cora's murder. Unlike historical perspectives that mention Crippen and Jack the Ripper in the same breath, Boyne's Crippen is more sympathetic, although certainly frightening at times. Despite having to capture such a long time frame, Boyne does an excellent job of condensing and elaborating exactly where and when he should. His characters are wonderfully memorable and engaging, and this book will satisfy patrons with a thirst for dramatized true-crime stories. Highly recommended for all popular fiction collections.—Susan O. Moritz, National Gallery of Art Lib., Washington, DC

Emma Roberts, a subdued, introverted graduate student, leaves the cloistered world she has shared with her reclusive mother in 1970s London to study formal garden design in Paris. Here, despite her loner inclinations, she is befriended by wild-girl librarian Françoise, whose family owns a country mansion but is hampered by financial worries. Booker Prize winner Brookner's (Hotel du Lac) carefully drawn heroine is a study in understatement, with a cautious inner life that may for some readers evoke Jane Austen, minus the humor. After Emma's mother dies suddenly, Emma is forced to analyze her relationship to her childhood, to the men she's met, and to Françoise. Ultimately, the novel traces its heroine's gradual understanding of herself and her place in the world. She's as strictly defined as the gardens she studies and a fascinatingly subtle character. Recommended.—Ann H. Fisher, Radford P.L., VA

No lullaby can soothe the pain or trauma that confronts this work's eponymous character. For Neecey, growing up in 1950s Chicago means struggling against poverty and severe child abuse and neglect. After parents Ruby and Jesse break up, Ruby takes up with a succession of lazy and lecherous men, and Neecey is crushed to discover that Jesse is not her real father. Ruby then bears more children, whom she physically and verbally abuses, and saddles Neecey with the parenting responsibilities. Neecey's anger is righteous and her spirit relentless in the face of incredible odds; her inner strength recalls that of Bone in Dorothy Allison's Bastard Out of Carolina and Ellen in Kaye Gibbons's Ellen Foster. Unfortunately, Burks (SilkyDreamGirl) ends her moving portrayal abruptly, short-circuiting an otherwise forceful creation, namely, the persona of Neecey. Recommended for large fiction collections.—Faye A. Chadwell, Univ. of Oregon Libs., Eugene

Riley Martin narrates this tale from Galveston's Shriners Burns Institute, where he is being treated for third-degree burns over 63 percent of his body. His mother talks about the “accident,” but Riley knows it to have been his destiny, just as Sleeping Beauty was meant to have pricked her finger and fallen into a deep sleep. Byrd (My Sister Disappears: Stories and a Novella) does a beautiful job of inhabiting the mind of a seven-year-old boy who overhears adult conversations and reaches his own conclusions based on a simpler understanding. Readers will see the horror of the medical treatment Riley must undergo and his puzzlement at the concerns of his mother, so different from his own. They will also see boys from different socioeconomic groups forming new kinships based on a split-second event that irrevocably altered each of their lives, and they will see—through Riley's eyes—the parents of these boys coming to terms with these events while passing judgment on one another for letting this tragedy befall their children. A beautiful, well-told story full of humor and pathos; recommended for public libraries.—Debbie Bogenschutz, Cincinnati State Technical & Community Coll. Lib.

Cox, author of the DC political blog Wonkette, delivers a debut novel about the interplay between Washington's more minor political types during the dog days of August in a presidential election year, when campaign staffers, media, and lobbyists symbiotically angle for the best leaks, stories, sources, parties, and affairs. The novel centers on the shenanigans of two twentysomething Democrats, Melanie Thornton and Julie Wrigley, who work to offset a weirdly silly smear campaign against their candidate. As the opposing side's unmerited story gains speed, Melanie and Julie resolve to shift the nation's attention by creating a tell-all web log written by a fictional sexy girl who offers salacious tales and tidbits about her adventurous love life. After “Capitolette” is born, the city is abuzz with speculation, and all goes as planned. The tide turns, however, when Julie actually hires a girl to be Capitolette and has her appear on news shows and at parties. Although a tad tawdry and scattered, this so-called inside look at DC politics easily beats last year's navel-gazing DC blog book, The Washingtonienne, by Jessica Cutler. Suitable for large fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/05.]—Sheila Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC

The newest arrival at the Rosewood Clinic, a psychiatric treatment center in suburban DC, is Kerry Taylor, a former ballet dancer and the sole survivor of a car crash in which her husband and young son were killed. In a catatonic state and diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, Kerry has not responded to conventional treatment. In desperation, her mother turns to Dr. Michael Myatt, whose method is to take patients back to a primal state in order to release their current demons. While Kerry and her fellow patients, an assortment of quirky characters all suffering from some form of shock or abuse, are put through a series of breathing, floating, aural, visual, and word association exercises, Myatt struggles with his personal history and the psychiatric establishment to gain acceptance for his novel treatment approach in a world full of dangers like anthrax and the Beltway sniper. Boasting a swiftly paced plot, dialog with heart and humor, and sympathetic characters whose fate the reader will care about, this fine first effort by talented writer Crane belongs in larger public libraries.—Barbara Love, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Kingston, Ont.

Thirty-year-old Alexandra Simons, the shallow but clever heroine of People magazine senior editor Dam's debut novel, is having a fashion emergency. She didn't pack her new Manolo slingbacks, and it's Fashion Week in Paris! Alex is a fashion reporter covering the runway shows who unintentionally becomes part of the show herself when, to her utter humiliation, she trips a model and ends up in the tabloids. Luckily, the next day attention shifts to a new victim as the gorgeous and mysterious Nick Snow has a runway disaster of his own. When Alex and Nick meet, sparks inevitably fly. Throw in a long-lost high school French teacher, couture shopping with Alex's mom, a missing fashion designer, and a reality TV show, and you've got the makings of a light and mildly entertaining read. The strength of this novel is not the wandering plot but the detailed description of every outfit, shoe, and handbag in Alex's wardrobe. As frilly as a designer's spring line, this work will grab readers' attention with its flashy cover and catchy title. Recommended for large popular fiction collections where this genre is popular.—Anika Fajardo, Coll. of St. Catherine Lib., St. Paul, MN

Delibes (b. 1920), the author of more than 50 books, tells a tale that shows how Catholic Spain contrived to withstand the landslide of Lutheranism. On the very day that Luther proclaims his 95 theses at Wittenberg, a child named Cipriano Salcedo is born in Valladolid, Spain, and is destined to join the Protestant movement there. The new Christians meet secretly at great risk, sharing the belief that faith alone (without good works) guarantees salvation as well as disbelief in purgatory and the worship of relics. The Inquisition is now being zealously implemented because Emperor Charles V, sorry that he did not execute Luther when he had the chance, has charged his son Philip II to compensate for his error. The novel is not at all gruesome until the larger-than-life penitential “ceremony” at the very end, and its appeal resides in the vivid details of Cipriano's everyday 16th-century life, such as his career in business and fashion, his failed marriage, and the insanity and institutionalization of his wife. Recommended for all readers of historical fiction.—Jack Shreve, Allegany Coll. of Maryland, Cumberland

Doig, a native of Montana, has been celebrating the natural beauty of his state and depicting the pleasures and challenges of frontier life for many years now in books like This House of Sky and English Creek. Here he returns to Montana to deal with these signature themes once again, with very satisfying results. Set in the early 1900s, this novel is a nostalgic, bittersweet story about a widower, his three sons, and the year these boys spend in a one-room country schoolhouse. The novel begins with the father, Oliver, hiring a widowed housekeeper named Rose from Minneapolis (her advertisement reads “Can't Cook but Doesn't Bite”). She arrives with her unconventional brother, Morrie, in tow. Morrie is something of a scholar, and he soon finds himself pressed into service as a replacement teacher. During the course of the novel, these intriguing and unpredictable characters come together in surprising and uplifting ways. This is an affectionate, heartwarming tale that also celebrates a vanished way of life and laments its passing. Recommended for all libraries.—Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., CT

The Big Bamboo is an actual cocktail lounge in Kissimmee, FL, that serves as a hangout for killer/conman Serge Storms and his disreputable friends, including dope-addicted sidekick Coleman. Yet most of the action in this eighth book (after Torpedo Juice) to feature hyper-lunatic Serge takes place in L.A., where Serge is hired to kidnap actress Ally Street. Because the book is a lampoon of everyone's worst impressions of Hollywood, it has a kind of slapstick humor that will keep readers grinning from the first page. The laugh riot really takes off when Serge puts a nylon stocking over his face, makes a film commentary, and sends it to a television news station as a kind of offbeat ransom note. This book has everything you'd ever want in a sleazy Hollywood B movie—immoral studio owners, high-maintenance actresses, the party that never stops, little guys trying to get their big break in film, the Yakuza, the Alabama mafia, freeway driving, and a big Hollywood finish on a movie set where all the forces finally come together. Howlingly funny! Rated R for language and adult situations. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/05.]—Ken St. Andre, Phoenix P.L.

To read D'Souza's debut novel is to be plunged into the precarious—and authentic—existence of the foreign relief worker. American Jack Diaz is in Ivory Coast to help bring clean drinking water to the people. But in the chaos following September 11, his funding is cut, and instead he insinuates himself into village life, farming a small tract of land and romancing the local women while halfheartedly tackling AIDS education. Jack's adventures as an honored outsider are alternately amusing, sexy, moving, and, when war erupts, frightening. Presented as a series of tales with a mostly shifting cast of characters except for the wonderful Mamadou, Jack's wise best friend who has just the right proverb for every occasion, this novel reads more like a short story collection. While each story is enchanting, the impact doesn't linger, and Jack's development isn't totally satisfying. Still, he's an appealing main character, a wanderer seeking his place in the world, a man most at home in an alien landscape, a volunteer whose major project is himself. Recommended for all public libraries.—Evelyn Beck, Piedmont Technical Coll., Greenwood, SC

This fiction debut from former lawyer Dugoni, author of the nonfiction The Cyanide Canary, displays few of the pitfalls commonly seen in a first novel. David Sloane is a San Francisco wrongful death attorney everyone either envies or hates. With his words and actions, he can manipulate a jury into doing anything he wants, and he hasn't lost a trial in 15 years. But his existence begins to unravel when, on the other side of the United States, a presidential adviser evidently takes his life. Days later, Sloane receives a mysterious package from the man. Suddenly, he finds himself the target of assassins who want the contents of the package and who also know that the adviser's death was no suicide. Sloane must use all of his courtroom powers of persuasion in the real world if he is to survive and shatter a conspiracy. This thriller is reminiscent of the early John Grisham and should easily find its way onto the best sellers lists. For all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/05.]—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L., WA

Cross Tom Robbins with James Joyce and throw in a George Carlin rant (only don't make it funny), and you might have this novel; if its incessant Riot Of Capital Letters isn't off-putting enough, perhaps its constant vulgarity will be. Tiresome and self-indulgent (e.g., 13 pages listing repulsive medical conditions, repeated lengthy descriptions of female genitalia) Ellmann's (Dot in the Universe) fifth novel boasts several loathsome characters, notably Jen, an obese, misanthropic nurse with a penchant for murdering her patients. She lives in a squalid basement flat below the office of the dishy but detestable Dr. Lewis, with whom she has a sordid affair fueled by handbag fetishes. Occasional bursts of humor—e.g., “Dr. Lewis had an innocent love of football which had only led to a few fatalities so far”—do not make up for the ceaseless onslaught of darker-than-dark ridiculous observations. By the end, numerous people have been overdosed, sodomized, or hacked with knives. One gets the sense the author feels incredibly clever and liberated by all these expressions of rage. Not recommended.—Christine Perkins, Burlington P.L., WA

Essex, Karen. Leonardo's Swans. Doubleday. 2006. c.352p. ISBN 0-385-51706-8. $21.95. F

Essex (Kleopatra; Pharoah) offers another meticulously researched fictional biography, this time moving to war-torn 15th-century Italy to document the lives of the noble d'Este sisters, who make politically advantageous marriages. Blond, beautiful, politically astute, and a patron of the arts, elder sister Isabella is betrothed to Francesco Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua. Their union, at first happy enough, later breaks down owing to Francesco's jealousy, infidelity, and wavering political loyalties. The naïve Beatrice marries Ludovico Sforza, future Duke of Milan, a mature ladies' man and serious patron of the arts for whom she would seem ill suited. Essex explores the rivalry between the sisters by focusing on their attempts to engage the services of court painter Leonardo da Vinci. Though intimidated by the master, Beatrice encourages him to complete civic works commissioned by her husband, while Isabella is intent upon securing a portrait of herself that will endure through the ages. Readers of Tracy Chevalier's Girl with a Pearl Earring or Sarah Dunant's The Birth of Venus will welcome this novel, which brings Renaissance Italy vividly to life. Highly recommended for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/05.]—Loralyn Whitney, Edinboro Univ. of Pennsylvania

Award-winning French novelist Ferranti here tells the story of Barbara of Brandenburg, who was married to Ludovico Gonzaga at age nine. The details of Barbara's life are derived from letters she sent to Maria of Hohenzollern, through which we learn of her relationship with her husband, family, and children. Central to the story is 15th-century artist Andrea Mantegna's painting of the four walls and ceiling of a room in the Gonzaga household to create his famous Camera degli Sposi (“Bridal Chamber”). The novel is written as a history, providing hints at events and motivations behind the deeds depicted. We learn something about the times of the Gonzaga family as well as the artist Mantegna, but most of the details are missing. At the end of this brief story, we want to know more about the family, the painting and its artist, and Mantua's culture at the time; perhaps the author is tempting us into conducting our own research. An afterword provides a surprising twist. Recommended for public and academic libraries.—Rebecca Stuhr, Grinnell Coll. Libs., IA

This debut novel begins in the suburbs of Cleveland, OH, with orphaned brothers Jack and Connor Reed. The older and supposedly wiser Jack finds himself the caretaker of teenaged Connor, who suspects that Jack has put aside his own future and taken a job in their deceased father's law firm so that he can raise Connor in the family home. Connor knows Jack could do much better as a big-city lawyer and senses the resentment Jack must harbor for him. The two young men grown up and grow apart as Connor goes off to school and Jack asks Mona, the girlfriend he may or may not really love, to move in with him to help fill up the lonely house. As the years pass and girlfriends come and go, Jack and Connor remain tied together. Goldhagen does a wonderful job of describing the familial bond and all the ups and downs and oddities that we consider family. This would also make a good book group selection. Highly recommended.—Leann Restaino, Girard, OH

Greer does a superb job of transcending conventional genrefication, bringing something fresh to contemporary literature by asking the simple question, “What if?” Specifically, what if Kurt C—, a well-known fictional rock musician, grew tired of success and retreated to his hometown of Dayton, OH? And what if Kurt C— decided to buy a house on Hawthorne Hill named Albion, the former residence of Orville Wright (of Wright brothers fame)? This two-part question is answered by Kurt's dear friend Fiat Lux in 21 personal notebooks found at Kurt's house after his death. It is said that she handwrote this story while Kurt's corpse lay only steps away and that when she finished, she disappeared from society forever. This new book by music writer Greer, former band member of Guided by Voices, is for the most part a very enjoyable read. There are a few instances of confusion and redundancy, but the highly inventive structure, full of eccentricities and rock music factoids, is enough to keep one entertained. Recommended for public libraries with patrons interested in popular culture and/or late Eighties, early Nineties rock music.— Stephen Morrow, Amherst, MA

In this latest novel from journalist Hardy (Goat: A Story About Kashmir and Notting Hill), Gracie Singh is an aging Englishwoman who has lived among the people of Kashmir for several decades. Her husband and son are long dead, and her family now consists of two servants: a mute woman named Suriya and Suriya's daughter, Lila. Gracie lives on the Wonder House, a large houseboat from which she has dispassionately watched her neighbors struggle with civil war and religious orthodoxy, problems that are threatening their quiet way of life. When an attractive young man from Britain wants to interview Gracie and subsequently falls in love with Lila, life changes for all three women in unexpected ways. While the unique setting and unusual plot twist at the end might in other cases be redemptive, here they fail to compensate for the emotionally detached writing style, bland and predictable characters, and painfully slow pacing. Not recommended.—Kellie Gillespie, City of Mesa Lib., AZ

In something that is a bit of a rarity in these days of ubiquitous chick lit, here is a novel about life and love told in the voice of a man of experience. Rudy Harrington is unhitched, unglued, at loose ends. At age 60, a widower and an empty-nester, he is attempting in his own idiosyncratic way to make some sense of his life. Rather suddenly, what makes sense to him is to leave his Chicago homestead and move to Texas to run an avocado grove. There he discovers new friends, new loves, an elephant named Norma Jean who paints, and new answers to those age-old philosophical questions. Rudy and his family make the leap from The Sixteen Pleasures, an earlier novel by Hellenga, who here utilizes clever devices like a multicultural wedding and a pair of late-night radio evangelists to contribute counterpoints allowing Rudy to ruminate widely on the meaning of life. In his rambling struggles with Truth and Beauty as well as with his own mortality, Rudy finds his answers—and more. If you can keep up with his rapidly shifting thoughts, you might enjoy going along for the ride. Recommended for popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/05.]—Susanne Wells, P.L. of Cincinnati & Hamilton Cty.

Urban/hip-hop fiction readers, look out! Here comes Evelyn Pannetti, or Eve, as she is known on the streets. Orphaned at a young age, Eve has run with gangs most of her life and by age 17 has already done time. Back on the street, she must take control when the powerful drug-dealing DeNardi family hits Harlem and her best friend is murdered. Readers will be living a tough life vicariously as the beautiful, cunning, and dangerous Eve confronts crime, love, loss, and revenge in the Big Apple, wonderfully detailed here. The gritty, in-your-face violence will attract some readers and repel others, but this gangsta romp is indisputably a page-turner. K'Wan's (Hoodlum) leap into the world of the Mafia is a bit clichéd but will prove intriguing to readers who enjoy this type of fiction. Recommended for public libraries with contemporary African American fiction collections.—Lisa Jones, Tuscaloosa P.L., AL

German author Lebert achieved international acclaim at a young age with his first novel, Crazy. His current work is steeped in a classic noir construct: Two strangers are assigned the same sleep berth on a passenger train traveling to Berlin from Munich in the dead of night, and throughout the hours of darkness secrets are revealed and lives changed. At first, things appear to be normal. Henry and Paul are young men traveling to an urban center to escape love, loss, and various coming-of–age problems. Beneath the surface, however, much darker issues are at play; with the action moving as quickly as the train across the north German landscape, the story crescendos to a shocking climax as it becomes obvious that neither character will escape unscathed. Told in short, sparse sentences, this novella can be completed in one sitting. Recommended for large public libraries with customers interested in international fiction.—Christopher Korenowsky, Columbus Metropolitan Lib. Syst., OH

Lindstrom, Kara. Sparkle Life. Other. May 2006. c.296p. ISBN 1-59051-232-4. $24.95. F

Bicoastal thirtysomethings Liv, Joy, and Sara are all connected—either directly or more nebulously—through the film industry. Moving back and forth between New York and L.A., the novel introduces us to these three complicated women and to the peripheral characters and events that link them—including Liv's father, John, a clothing manufacturer, and her psychotherapist uncle, Linus, whose past patients include both Joy and Sara. While Liv directs Linus's autobiographical screenplay about the art thefts that financed his and John's flight from Armenia, Sara marries the young Palestinian star of Joy's documentary, and the once free-spirited Joy turns conformist upon marrying an Orthodox Jew. When John decides to relocate his manufacturing operation to Armenia and to apologize publicly for his and Linus's plundering of national treasures, Liz sees the opportunity to confront her painful past as a reporter in war-torn Azerbaijan. Set decorator, production designer, and screenwriter Lindstrom gives us an insider's look at the film industry and global character of modern American life through these challenging characters as they find meaning in the shifting contexts of their ever-changing lives and relationships. A wonderfully entertaining and tender first novel; recommended for all fiction collections.—Jenn B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll.-Northeast, Houston

Lipman, Elinor. My Latest Grievance. Houghton. Apr. 2006. c.256p. ISBN 0-618-64465-2 [ISBN 978-0-618-64465-0]. $24. F

In the late 1970s, Frederica Hatch is the enchantingly outspoken daughter of brilliant college professors at a minor all-girls college in Massachusetts. Her temperate, mildly eccentric, and lovely parents, also union activists for the faculty of Dewing College, serve as houseparents at one of the dorms, where Frederica has lived her whole life. Wise beyond her years, Frederica takes it in stride when she discovers that her father was married once before and that Laura Lee French, the smashingly solipsistic first wife of Dr. David Hatch, has just been hired as housemother of one of the other dorms. Within hours of her arrival, French seduces the new president of Dewing in a flagrant affair that provides rich fuel for Frederica's hilariously dry wit and searing analysis of adult foibles. Lipman (The Pursuit of Alice Thrift) creates that rare blend of no-nonsense compassion and believable, offbeat innocence that is completely irresistible. Expect demand for this novel and renewed interest in Lipman's previous seven. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/05.]—Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor District Lib., MI

MacFarquhar, Neil. The Sand Café. PublicAffairs: Perseus. Apr. 2006. c.384p. ISBN 1-58648-368-4. $26. F

Set in Saudi Arabia during the buildup to the first Gulf War, this debut from veteran foreign correspondent MacFarquhar is a scathing satire of the news business. Wire-service correspondent Angus Dalziel is holed up in the semi-squalid Dhahran Palace Hotel with the rest of the foreign press corps, chasing what little real news there is and trying not to run afoul of the uptight Saudi authorities. Here, Angus meets TV journalist Thea Makdisi and begins a “hotel affair” that he hopes will turn into much more. To Angus's chagrin, Thea falls for high-powered TV producer Aaron Black, who can advance her career further than can a lowly print reporter. But when the war begins and the Scuds start flying, all bets are off. MacFarquhar directs his poison pen at the ambitions, pretensions, and petty rivalries of those in the news business as only an insider can. Beyond this, his observations regarding the nature of Saudi society and the Saudi regime make much of what has happened since seem almost inevitable. Recommended for all public libraries.—Lawrence Rungren, Merrimack Valley Lib. Consortium, Andover, MA

McPhee, Martha. L'America. Harcourt. Apr. 2006. c.304p. ISBN 0-15-101171-0 [ISBN 978-0-15-101171-1]. $25. F

Beth is the adored only child of a Pennsylvania hippie commune leader who spends his whole life grieving over the death of his young wife when Beth was two. Cesare is the son of an ancient Italian banking family whose 500-year-old history dictates that he follow in the footsteps of 19 generations of bankers. When they fall in love in Greece in the Eighties (he is 24 and she just 18), they don't yet know that they don't stand a chance. Year after year, their love and diametrically opposed fates both nourish and torture them; sacrifices of geography, career ambitions, and familial ties deep-six all efforts at compromise or peaceful acceptance of their irreconcilable differences. Theirs is the sort of smart, passionate, all-consuming, impossible love affair that is both breathtakingly sensual, shockingly selfish, and, finally, bafflingly cruel. In her third novel (after Bright Angel Time and Gorgeous Lies), McPhee draws the reader into the lives of this irresistibly spirited, intensely determined couple even though we know by page 12 that their love is doomed. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/05.]—Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI

This ninth novel from the Russian-born Makine (Dreams of My Russian Summers), now a resident of Paris, takes place in the mid-1970s in a rural town called Mirnoe near the White Sea. Our narrator, a 26-year-old folklorist from Leningrad who is documenting local songs and ceremonies, meets an intriguing older woman named Vera who has been waiting for 30 years for her lover, Boris, to return home from the battlefields of World War II. Boris was reported dead in the final days of the war, but Vera forsook her linguistics doctorate and a more cosmopolitan life to await his return in this isolated village, teaching and caring for the elderly in the meantime. Soon she begins a relationship with the folklorist, who has made several erroneous assumptions about Vera and her life that play out in this brief but stirring and intricate novel. The bleakness of the postwar countryside, the rise of the post-1968 Russian intelligentsia, and examples of love both false and true make this a haunting and satisfying tale. Recommended for larger fiction collections and for any contemporary European literature collection.—Jenn B. Stidham, Houston Community Coll.-Northeast, Houston

From the poet, novelist, and award-winning author Manrique (Eminent Maricones: Arenas, Lorca, Puig, and Me) comes a piece of historical fiction set in revolutionary South America and based on the life of Manuela Sáenz, considered by many to be the most important woman in Latin American history as well as that region's first feminist. Manrique adeptly chronicles Sáenz's uniquely independent life and inimitable contributions to South America's independence from Spain as well as her intense love affair with revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar. A selfless patron for the independence cause, Sáenz evokes the charisma, strength, determination, and political savvy of the former First Lady of Argentina, Eva Perón, and Manrique's telling of her tumultuous and dangerous life should be especially inspiring to women. This compelling (if a tad long) and plausible interpretation of Sáenz's life is recommended for fiction collections, especially those that serve a Hispanic community.—Sofia A. Tangalos, SUNY at Buffalo

Throughout his life, Zeb Dupree has been haunted by his father's loss of the family farm. He was able to rise above his working-class status, getting a college degree, landing a job as an editor for a New Orleans newspaper, and marrying Rosanne, an attractive girl from a middle-class family. But then Rosanne takes a lover, Zeb's depression leads to his firing, and he moves back to his college town of Cedar Springs, NC, working as a dishwasher but hoping to play the fiddle in a band. As he struggles on through this low point, still dreaming of getting back together with Rosanne, Zeb recalls much of his life, including the death of his father, his courting of Rosanne, and his relationship with his brothers. March (Love to the Spirits) effectively captures the rural South circa the early Seventies, matching it with the individual's struggle against the failures of the past and despair for the future. The subplot involving his mother and two brothers contrasts Zeb's attempts to overcome his roots with those resigned to their fate, but piece by piece Zeb rebuilds his life and recognizes his real dreams. Stronger as a cultural statement than a character study—at times Zeb can seem one-dimensional—this book is recommended for larger collections.—Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. Syst., Poughkeepsie, NY

Medwed, Mameve. How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life. Morrow. Mar. 2006. c.288p. ISBN 0-06-083119-7 [ISBN 978-0-06-083119-6]. $24.95. F

Medwed (End of an Error) returns with the story of Abigail Randolf, who is struggling with the death of her mother and the remarriage of her Harvard professor father. Abby would rather hide in her booth at an antiques market than deal with the conflict caused by an object inherited from her mother's apartment. Forced by her friend Gus, Abby takes the object on the Antiques Roadshow TV program only to find out that it belonged to author Elizabeth Barrett Browning and is worth thousands of dollars. This news brings ex-lover Ned and ex-friend Lavinia out of the woodwork to stake a claim to the prize, much to Abby's dismay. The reader roots for Abby as she faces her weaknesses and ultimately comes out ahead. At times, Abby addresses the audience as a trusted friend, which allows the story to come across as charming and funny without being precious. Abby is a thoroughly believable character, with flaws and strengths that many readers will recognize. Highly recommended for all public libraries.—Anastasia Diamond, Cleveland P.L.

Mitchell, David. Black Swan Green. Random. Apr. 2006. c.304p. ISBN 1-4000-6379-5. $24.95. F

Thirteen is a difficult age, and Jason Taylor has a hard time negotiating the mean streets of the ex-urban town of this book's title. Two factors make life in Cold War England even more difficult: he has a stammer, which he tries valiantly and cleverly to conceal from friends and classmates, and, even more dangerous, he secretly writes poetry and sends it to a local publication under a pseudonym. Life at home is no picnic, either, with a father and mother increasingly at odds and an ice princess of a sister who enjoys toying with the younger Jason. British slang and cultural idioms color the prose of brilliant stylist Mitchell, who conveys an emotional rapport with his characters. Though this work is seemingly worlds away from his postmodern visionary 2004 epic, Cloud Atlas, that novel nevertheless seeps into the cracks as minor characters and themes reappear from the earlier work. Here the virtuoso ventriloquism of multiple voices and settings focuses only on Jason and his surroundings but to heightened comic and dramatic effect. Recommended for all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/05.]—Jim Coan, SUNY at Oneonta Lib.

On a trip to New York City to film a television show, a retired British anthropologist sets off for an exhilarating walk one evening in the city's urban canyons. On a corner, he sees someone he vaguely recognizes standing across the street waving to him; stepping off the curb to talk, he is hit by a car or van and plunged into darkness. He awakens to find himself being tended by a solicitous nun whose smile reminds him of the Mona Lisa—and his ex-wife. Mosley's latest offers a phantasmagoric journey through the darkness of memory and the human psyche, with the narrator probing the shortcomings of love, the anxieties of relationships, the inadequacy of language, the ambivalence of family life, and the absurdities of political life (“You people [Americans] need to have tragedy and terror in order to bring some intensity into the vacuity of your lives”). The narrator flits between past and present as he attempts to make some sense of the ways that his florid memories impinge upon his life, altering its very character and his ability to interact with others. Mosley's postmodern fable may not appeal to everyone, but fans of his Whitbread Award–winning Hopeful Monsters and his other novels will be looking for his newest foray into what makes us tick.—Henry L. Carrigan Jr., Lancaster, PA

Robbie Brownlaw was an ordinary member of the San Diego Police Department until he was tossed out a sixth-floor window at the Las Palmas Hotel. His survival, and the minor celebrity status that followed, helped propel him through a series of promotions to become the youngest homicide detective on the SDPD. Garrett Asplundh was also a member of the SDPD, rising to the rank of investigator for the city's Ethics Authority Enforcement Unit. Personal tragedies haunted Asplundh and led to his apparent suicide at the same landmark bridge where he had proposed to his now-estranged wife. Brownlaw is assigned to investigate Asplundh's death and discovers that the ethics investigator had stumbled upon dirty secrets about some of the city's highest-ranking civic leaders—secrets that may have led to his murder. Parker's (Laguna Heat) 13th novel provides a nice blend of hard-boiled police procedures and an intimate look at the lives of the men and women behind the badges, although keeping up with the large cast of characters can be challenging. Recommended for most fiction collections.— Ken Bolton, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

Better known as the villain of Knots and Crosses, George Reeve stars as the hero of this effort by Edgar Award–winning author Rankin, who previously released this title under the pseudonym of Jack Harvey. When Reeve's journalist brother, Jim, dies of an apparent suicide while investigating a story, George flies to America to retrieve the body for burial. Unable to see his brother as the suicidal type, he begins an investigation that eventually leads to a corporate cover-up. George is soon gripped with the need to exact revenge for his brother's death while attempting to avoid slipping back into his violent, military past. Rankin's skill is evident, but this novel isn't as gripping as those in the Inspector Rebus series. George simply isn't that likable, and the sections involving computer technology seem dated. Still, it's interesting to see what Rankin was working on during the early days of his Rebus novels, and readers of that series will likely want to pick this one up. Because of Rebus's popularity, this book is recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/05.]—Craig Shufelt, Lane P.L., Oxford, OH

London in the 1950s comes to life in this debut novel of historical chick lit in the tradition of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle. The focus of the story is Penelope, a reserved 18-year-old whose life is never the same after she meets the vivacious Charlotte. Also shaping Penelope's life is the ancestral home where she lives with her stunningly beautiful mother and Elvis-obsessed brother. The family can't afford to repair the huge home, which is itself a work of art, but they can't leave it either because it belonged to the family of Penelope's father, who died in the war. Penelope is distracted from the trouble at home when she gets involved with a plan by Charlotte's brother Harry to win back the rich girl with whom he's in love. Alas, once the plan succeeds, Penelope realizes she's in love with Harry. Though the novel initially drags a bit, it quickly becomes hard to put down as the reader becomes lost in the vivid depiction of 1950s London and Penelope's romantic world, where a chance meeting can change your life forever. [Rice is the daughter of lyricist Jim Rice (Evita).—Ed.]—Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

New Yorker Jim Glaser has been depressed and withdrawn in the two years since a horrific accident killed Zak, the childhood friend who later became his long-term partner. When he meets Seth McKenna, an art student 20 years his junior, he unexpectedly feels the stirrings of passion again. Shared empathy over parallel tragedies combines with mutual infatuation to transcend their sharp differences, and the two plunge into a torrid romance. But the untimely arrival of Seth's homophobic sister, Cassie, threatens to expose Seth's real-life story. And Cassie, still feeling abandoned after Seth's departure six years earlier, also bears a secret that will change their lives. Shapiro's debut novel begins as a titillating gay romance but turns into a tense drama punctuated by unexpected plot twists and peopled with realistic characters attempting to escape their hurtful pasts. With excellent dialog, Shapiro creates a unique voice for each character. Her universal themes of family, love, and personal transformation will resonate with diverse readers, though her graphic descriptions of gay sex may blunt the book's crossover appeal to mainstream audiences. Recommended for most fiction collections.—Joseph M. Eagan, Enoch Pratt Free Lib., Baltimore

Spanish historian, author, and television host and producer Sierra (Rosewell: Secreto del Estado) uncovers the secret hidden in Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper in a novel set in 1497 Milan. Friar Agostino Leyre, a Dominican inquisitor, has been sent from Rome to determine the identity of the Soothsayer, an informant who has been sending messages to the Pope implicating Leonardo in spreading heresy, particularly through his latest masterpiece. Leyre takes up residence at the monastery where The Last Supper is being painted and discovers secrets on many levels, in both the monastery and Leonardo's fresco. This novel will inevitably be compared with Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, and though on the surface it is similar, with messages hidden in art and conspiracies within the Church, Sierra finds an alternate (but equally convincing) message in Leonardo's masterpiece. The language of the two novels is also very different, Sierra's being more detailed, written in the first person, and set firmly in the 15th century. Secret Supper is also possibly more confusing than The Da Vinci Code, but it is a good read in its own right. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/05.]—Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnepeg

In the final days of World War II, Heinrich Hoffer, acting director of the Kaiser-Wilhelm museum in Lohenfelde, Germany, retreats to the basement vault with three other staff members as the town is pounded by Allied bombers. Meanwhile, in the devastated streets outside, American corporal Neal Parry makes his way toward the museum, which stands eerily empty. Dozens of modern paintings deemed degenerate by the Nazis have been removed from the collection. Other works have been sent to a remote salt mine for safekeeping, but the most valuable paintings have been appropriated by greedy Nazi bureaucrats. Hoffer has taken the precaution of hiding his favorite Van Gogh in the basement. When a crazed SS officer unexpectedly arrives to claim the painting, the entire staff is placed at risk. Apart from a few missteps, such as Corporal Parry, a crude caricature of an American, this eloquent and moving novel by Thorpe (Pieces of Light) succeeds in saying something new on the overworked topic of Nazi looting. Recommended for collections of World War II fiction in both public and academic libraries.—Edward B. St. John, Loyola Law Sch. Lib., Los Angeles

In this Grecophile's delight, Marianna, a partner in a New York City law firm, is feeling guilty after missing her father's funeral when she finds a photograph of a childhood friend of her parents. This leads her to former marathon runner, scholar, and slave Ion Theodore and eventually to Greece, where she muses on her life's emptiness and begins to unravel the past. Ion's journals, which she finds hidden at the base of a Madonna and Child sculpture in a monastery, tell of his experiences as a slave of the Ottomans and training as an Olympic runner with the legendary Spyridon Louis, marathon winner in the 1896 Olympic Games. Woven throughout is the story of the great love of Ion's life, lost to war's cruel turns of fate. This is the first title for Starlight Runner Entertainment's new Kissena Park Press imprint and a debut novel for Winokur, once a student of the real-life Ion Theodore at the Horace Mann School in Riverdale, NY. This could be a big hit. For all libraries.—Mary Kay Bird-Guilliams, Wichita P.L., KS