Fiction

In his first novel, Alarcón reexamines poignant issues found in his critically acclaimed short story collection, War by Candlelight, a finalist for the 2006 PEN/Hemingway Foundation Award. As war escalates between the government of a South American country and the guerrilla factions challenging it, people seek a better or at least different life by fleeing into the city, leaving their loved ones behind. But radio-show host Norma brings hope to people looking for the lost by reading their names on air, reuniting those who are willing. When a boy from a jungle village shows up at the station, it becomes clear that Norma is also searching for a loved one, and the visit helps her regain forgotten hope. Alarcón digs deep into the collective history of international conflict and current strife to bring us the harsh reality shown here, engaging us both as readers and as global citizens. Like Orwell, he poses difficult social questions that often go unvoiced, and he effectively explores an exhaustive range of emotion in just over 250 pages, rendering his insights in beautiful, painstakingly precise language. Literature is fortunate to have such a promising, thought-provoking young writer. Recommended for all public and academic libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/06.]—Stephen Morrow, Columbus, OH

The title of this latest from best-selling novelist Amis (Night Train) refers to a cabin in a Siberian slave-labor camp where, during the Stalin years, some of the state's prisoners could have conjugal visits. The text takes the form of a memoir written by an elderly and now prosperous camp survivor to his American stepdaughter, Venus, whose pampered and sheltered life stands in stark contrast to the appalling atrocities the old Russian has seen and sometimes participated in during the war and after. He scoffs at her idea of closure, saying that nobody ever gets over anything. Described as the story of a love triangle—the narrator and his brother, Lev, are both in love with a bold Jewish girl named Zoya—Amis's novel is more a parable about the crushing evils visited on the Russian people throughout the 20th century and still continuing today. Although Amis writes as brilliantly as ever, squeamish readers may find the graphic scenes of life in the gulag difficult to get through. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/06.]—Leslie Patterson, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence

As in his 1991 award winner, Wartime Lies, Begley revisits the struggles of Jewish identity and assimilation, this time involving ambitious Harvard freshman Henry White. Having spent much of his adolescence in Poland hiding from the Nazis, Henry lacks the educational foundation and sophisticated upbringing of his peers, but he ultimately makes up for it with natural charm and a fierce intellect. It helps that his new roommates, narrator Sam and hard-drinking Archie, are more traditional WASPy Ivy Leaguers who quickly accept Henry and form a concrete friendship. The novel follows a delightfully natural progression as the narrative wends its way from Harvard in the 1940s to today, observing tragedies, relationships (romantic and otherwise), and the career paths of the three friends. As Sam becomes a famous novelist and Henry enjoys success as a high-powered international attorney, the choices they made as undergrads continue to mold their lives, and their friendship remains steadfast as the years quickly pile up. An intelligent, big-hearted novel that offsets an occasionally haughty tone with muscular displays of emotion and superior character development; recommended for most general fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/06.]—Kevin Greczek, Trenton, NJ

Blurring fact and fiction, the author makes herself the main character in her follow-up to Loose Lips. Claire Berlinski is living in Paris and working on her second novel when she starts an email flirtation with Arsalan (a.k.a. the Lion), a fan of her writing who lives in Iran. The novel builds slowly as Claire goes about her daily correspondence, swaps her apartment for one in Istanbul, and begins a friendship with an American woman, Sally, whom she meets in a coffee shop there. Then things start to happen: it turns out that Sally is a CIA agent who needs Claire to introduce her to Arsalan. Claire reluctantly agrees to help and, on her return to Paris, invites both Arsalan and Sally to a dinner party. The party is the first meeting for Claire and Arsalan, who find that their chemistry is as great in person as it is online. After their one night together, Arsalan mysteriously disappears, and Claire spends the rest of the novel trying to figure out what happened to him. This novel really takes off after the setup, with intriguing, offbeat characters and vivid descriptions of Paris and Istanbul; it's a worthy successor to Loose Lips. Recommended for public libraries where Loose Lips was popular.—Karen Core, Detroit P.L.

A prominent Canadian physician with a long list of selfless contributions to humankind, Norman Bethune (1890–1939) joined the Communist Party in 1935, later traveling to Spain to help in the struggle against fascism and then on to China during the Japanese invasion. Bock (The Ash Garden) has anchored this biographical novel about Bethune's China years in a series of letters to a daughter Bethune never met. Obsessed with guilt after abandoning her and her mother in war-torn Spain, Bethune feels compelled to explain his life to her. In free time away from his primitive battlefield hospitals, Bethune writes to her about the futility of war; his childhood memories and strict Presbyterian upbringing; an early failed marriage; the turbulent time in Franco's Spain, where he met her mother; his dealings with bureaucrats who promise but never deliver funding for medical supplies; and his dangerous trip to China on the eve of World War II. Bock has constructed an original historical novel around Bethune, a flawed but larger-than-life hero unafraid to take the singular path. Highly recommended.—Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO

In this imaginative work, the author of Crippen presents the life of Matthieu Zela, who has lived for 256 years without aging. Matthieu's first-person narrative weaves together three distinct threads: his current life in 1999, his early years with first love Dominique, and poignant episodes in between. These episodes include the French Revolution (1789–99), the construction of England's Crystal Palace (1851), and the Wall Street Crash (1929). Each chapter is almost a short story in and of itself, which makes reading the novel an initially confusing experience. Having all the time in the world, Matthieu drifts through life, never getting close enough to anyone to tell his secret. He looks after a series of reckless nephews (and great-nephews) named Thomas (or Thom, or Tomas) who seem doomed to die young. Matthieu's tortured love affair with Dominique also resonates throughout the years, influencing his many marriages and relationships. Boyne is creative and entertaining, particularly as he develops his characters. Recommended for public libraries. [Library marketing campaign planned; Boyle's best-selling young adult novel about the Holocaust, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, has been optioned for film.—Ed.]—Laurel Bliss, Princeton Univ. Lib., NJ

When he passed away unexpectedly in 2004 at age 53, beloved Southern fiction writer Brown (e.g., Joe; Father and Son) left behind a virtually complete manuscript for a sixth novel. Although it concludes after 450 pages with Brown's notes for the final chapters, it may nonetheless be his finest work. The masterly narrative returns to rural, hardscrabble Mississippi and features as its protagonist a charming and vulnerable ten-year-old boy named Jimmy. The adults in Jimmy's life are reckless and deeply flawed, and Brown beautifully captures Jimmy's innocence and puzzled understanding of the complex adult world he sees. Brown also brings vividly to life Jimmy's family and a large cast of colorful, beleaguered, and sometimes dangerous neighborhood characters. Often humorous but sometimes harrowing, this multilayered story about fatherhood, a boy's go-kart, and a new catfish pond is effortlessly and joyously told. Enthusiastically recommended.—Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., CT

Get ready for a refreshing dip into the waters of a rich imagination with this debut novel, which centers on the lives of 100 contemporary women living in a remote Colombian village called Mariquita. After the village's men are killed or forced to join a guerrilla group, the women eke out a squalid existence, enduring drought, food shortages, and a flu epidemic. Faced with a hopeless future, they reject the traditional male concept of governance and rebuild an independent, caring community closely connected with nature. Contrasting with the humorous if sometimes disturbing events in the lives of these uncommon women is the hostile world of the village men, who are involved in gruesome warfare and torture. The story of these women touches our deepest emotions and reveals fundamental needs and concerns, such as the vulnerability felt by Rasalba, the town's new magistrate, after she accepts the love of another woman. This exciting book confirms the idea that our world would be far better off in the caring hands of women—especially the women from Mariquita. Highly recommended.—David A. Beronä, Plymouth State Univ., NH

Nicole Blake, the accidental American of the title, is a forger who has gone straight after serving six years in a French prison. Her quiet life in the Pyrenees is shattered when American agent John Valsamis pressures her into tracking down her former lover, Rahim Ali, a suspected terrorist living in Lisbon. When Valsamis shoots Rahim, Nicole finds herself on the run and in possession of an invoice for five dirty bombs destined for Iraq. At the same time, Sabri Kanj, a captive being tortured in Amman, Jordan, asks to see former CIA director of operations Richard Morrow claiming to know the identity of an American mole who had advance knowledge of the 1983 bombing of the American embassy in Beirut. The connections among all these characters, who are not what they seem, are slowly revealed as Nicole struggles not only to survive but to understand a complicated past that includes the death of her Lebanese mother in a car bombing. A tightly entwined plot with numerous reversals, poetic descriptions, thorough research, and a lightly fictionalized treatment of America's Mideast travails make this an intriguing read. Recommended for popular fiction collections; Carr is a pseudonym for novelist Jenny Siler (Easy Money).—Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

When men working on an oil rig in the North Atlantic experience symptoms of a mysterious illness, former naval doctor Peter Crane is called in to diagnose. Forced to sign an oath of secrecy before he can start, Crane learns that the true source of the sickness lies miles beneath the water's surface in a state-of-the-art research laboratory called Deep Storm. A major discovery that the scientists are investigating at the bottom of the ocean will change the history of humankind forever. Crane must work through the secrecy and deception if he is going to save the lives of everyone on the rig. Never predictable and always fascinating, Child's (Death Match) thriller will be remembered as one of the best of the year. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/06.]—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

Nearly a decade after the U.S. publication of Canadian author Choy's award-winning debut novel, The Jade Peony, comes the prequel to the Chen family story. Previously published in Canada, the novel focuses on the Chinese Canadian experience in Vancouver from the late 1920s to the late 1940s, tracing the emigration and evolution of the Chens through the eyes of first-born son Kiam-Kim. The story is richly told and liberally sprinkled with defined Cantonese phrases in the Sze Yup dialect. The descriptions of Chinese life and culture in Vancouver are reminiscent of those in the first novel, which Kiam-Kim's siblings narrated. Both novels end at much the same time, which leaves this reviewer wondering whether Choy is planning to turn the Chen family's story into a tidy trilogy. Readers whose background parallels the Chens' will especially appreciate Choy's characters. Public and academic libraries already owning the first novel and those with Asian American fiction collections will definitely want to add this one. [A reprint of The Jade Peony is planned for simultaneous release.—Ed.]—Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA

So he, Cohen, writing with amazing energy but less like the twentysomething he is than a crotchety octogenarian on a month-long meth binge, has him, Laster, the virtuoso violinist, protégé, financial supporter, and "performing monkey" for him, Schneidermann, the brilliant but obscure composer, supposed to perform the cadenza, launch instead into a 300-page verbal improvisational fusillade without so much as a single inhalation or rest beat (15 hours! So maybe I should read his short story collection, The Quorum, instead!), not so much a story as "talking, eulogizing, ranting, sermonizing" about his, Laster's, but more so his, Schneidermann's, life but more so a cultural/political/musical/religious/historical consideration of the entire 20th century and the end of classical culture from a Hungarian/German/Jewish/New York perspective. He, Cohen, will drive most readers away screaming "Oy! Too much is enough!" but they, the readers who stick around, will be delighted, if exhausted, which is why you, most public and academic librarians, should buy this, Cohen's, book, which might just become a cult classic.—Jim Dwyer, California State Univ. Lib., Chico

Like Jane Smiley's Moo, this latest from Coll (Rockville Pike) is a hilarious novel about academe, following three high school students, their parents, and one dean of admissions in the year before the students' graduation. All three students are looking for the right college: Harry is driven but struggling to get into Harvard, Taylor becomes obsessed with stealing her neighbors' mail as she resists her mother's schemes to get her into a top school, and Maya tries to convince her family to let her go to a small liberal arts school even though all her siblings went the Ivy League route. Olivia, the interim dean of admissions at Yates College, which has just made the top 50 list of liberal arts colleges, works to maintain her admissions standards while under pressure from the college president to admit kids with wealthy parents. This extremely engaging story about the high-stakes, upper-middle-class world of college admissions is poised to become a popular book club selection and is recommended for most libraries.—Amy Ford, St. Mary's Cty. Lib., Lexington Park, MD

There's a new player stepping into the street-lit spotlight, and he's one to watch. Atlanta native D writes the first title rolled out by Akashic's new street-lit imprint, the Armory, edited by novelist Kenji Jasper. The book is patterned after post-World War II hard-boiled pulp novels, and the story line carries a hint of Mickey Spillane's shadowy world of tough guys and sexy dames. The work's nameless narrator, who tells his story in an odd variation that substitutes you for I, is overwhelmed by out-of-this-world sex with an exotic dancer. The 23 year old, a longtime collector for Brooklyn's most lethal criminal, Tony Star, soon realizes that he's been played—literally, with his pants down—when the femme fatale and her crew rob him of a quarter million dollars. But the narrator's good standing leads to a 24-hour postponement of his execution, and he rushes against the clock to retrieve the money, dealing out brutal payback in a suspense thriller that's more than a street-lit shocker. Nothing is clear until the final pages, when readers find out who is pulling the strings behind the cold-blooded betrayal. Urban libraries have to get Got.—Rollie Welch, Cleveland P.L.

Danford's debut novel is an overall achievement in storytelling, giving readers the portrait of an Italian immigrant who keeps his past hidden from his daughter only to have her investigate his secret after his death. The narrative successfully moves from parent to child, recalling Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club. Like that novel, Danford's work conveys the isolation of being both a parent and a foreigner in America, but here the emotions are not on the surface; Danford's characters are more detached, and sometimes the reader is too aware of the writer crafting her prose instead of her characters. The main character, Luigi, appears at first too unremarkable for anyone to care about, making the initial vignette tedious. Fortunately, Danford quickly introduces key elements to the story, and the characters take shape. In the end, readers will be flipping the pages in anticipation of learning the whole truth about Luigi's past and its impact on his daughter. Danford is coeditor of the annual "Best New American Voices" series. Recommended for public libraries.—Shalini Miskelly, Highline Community Coll. Lib., Des Moines, WA

A white New England couple, interior designer Dana and lawyer husband Hugh, are excited about becoming first-time parents. But when the baby girl is born with brown skin, questions and suspicions abound. Dana never knew who her father was, so perhaps there is black ancestry on her side of the family. However, Hugh's snooty family suspects infidelity—after all, there is an attractive black man living next door, and Hugh was out of town nine months ago. Dana vehemently denies cheating and is wounded when Hugh insists on DNA testing. Although Hugh's mistrust of Dana is disappointing, the real villain is his father, Eaton, who is less concerned with his granddaughter than with how this development could harm reception of his forthcoming book. When it is confirmed that Hugh is indeed the father, he and Dana seek to solve the mystery, uncovering family secrets and confronting prejudice along the way. Best-selling author Delinsky (Looking for Peyton Place) has written a compelling and thought-provoking novel that will have readers and book clubs exploring tough racial and family issues. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/06.]—Samantha J. Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY

Previously unpublished, this 1953 mainstream novel by the late sf author of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (the basis for Ridley Scott's Blade Runner) is remarkable for its very mundanity. No androids or electric sheep here, just a depressed television salesman in Oakland, CA. At 25, Stuart Hadley yearns for a life befitting his intellectual pretensions—he had dreamed of being an artist—but must instead work at a humdrum job to support his wife and infant son. As he falls deeper into depression, he nearly destroys himself and everything in his life, but in the end he finds that it's the simple things that matter most. The book's violence, sex, and racial themes might have been shocking at the time, but now they just seem dated, making the book more a historical curio than a searing indictment of middle-class society. The two-paragraphs-to-turn-off-the-alarm-clock writing style becomes tiresome after awhile, but it does at least provide an accurate picture of daily life in the 1950s. Recommended for Dick completists and students of mid-century realist fiction; others would be better served by buying new copies of his justly acclaimed sf novels. [Library marketing campaign planned.—Ed.]—Jenne Bergstrom, San Diego Cty. Lib.

In this atmospheric and captivating novel, set in 1831 on the tiny island of Ellan Bride off the Isle of Man, the Geddes family faces an uncertain future. Sisters-in-law Lucy and Diya and their three children have long been the island's only inhabitants and keepers of its lighthouse. Two surveyors have arrived to prepare for the building of a new lighthouse, and the Commissioners of Northern Lights will no longer need the services of the women and children. For Diya, it is an opportunity to escape a confining life, but Lucy's one traumatic experience off the island makes her fear leaving the order and safety she's always known. During their three-day stay, the surveyors become entangled in the Geddes's lives in unexpected ways. All the characters, including the children, are fully realized, with deep flaws and hidden strengths. The conclusion is satisfying if somewhat ambiguous, leaving the reader emotionally invested in the characters' futures. From the author of Voyageurs; recommended for public and academic libraries.—Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Lib., Minneapolis

Who among us has never been guilty of something? And just who is the accuser to judge? Big questions permeate this devastating tale of a mother forced to defend herself against an allegation of Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP) when she's only been the most dedicated and educated parent she knows how to be. MSP is a psychological disorder in which a mother either causes or fakes her otherwise healthy child's illness for attention or sympathy. As Grace's entire family history is laid out for examination, she finds herself making comparisons to the Salem Witch Trials, and this historical device adds intriguing depth to the novel. Fischer's return to the themes of love and guilt (after The Language of Good-bye) showcases her ability to write about deeply personal topics within a societal context. Readers will want to know how little three-year-old Jack fares, whether Grace will be found innocent, and whether her marriage will survive. Crammed full of fascinating historical and scientific detail, this novel is a perfect book-group selection (dare we mention Oprah?), comparable to Jane Hamilton's A Map of the World or Jane Smiley's A Thousand Acres. Expect media attention owing to the MSP topic. For all popular collections.—Teresa L. Jacobsen, Solano Cty. Lib., CA

Fleming, whose historical novels Thomas Gage and The Temple of Optimism have earned stellar reviews in England, has had a mixed reception here. This third novel may decisively tip the scales in his favor. Charlie Doig, a Nabokovian figure of Russian heritage and entomological enthusiasms, is an unforgettable character. His saga stretches from Burma's remoteness to Smolensk's pre-1917 cosiness as he strives to make his mark in the world. From the first chapters showcasing lusty encounters to the closing chapters ablaze with the Russian Revolution's gore, this work is energetic, lavishly expressive, and a great read. That it also pulses with historic accuracy is a reader's bonus. Nephew of the spymaster Ian Fleming, James deserves a new generation of Fleming fans of his own. For most popular collections.—Barbara Conaty, Falls Church, VA

A refugee from a failing marriage to a great painter who does not appreciate her work, Eleanor lives starkly in the New Mexico desert, helped by the wise Griefa and by local priest David—himself a refugee from the dangers of parish politics and secretly sweet on Eleanor. One day, Eleanor encounters a semiconscious man in the desert and rather daringly brings him to her little abode, nursing him back to health. She doesn't know that Leo has run off from the Manhattan Project, having been exposed to an unhealthy dose of radiation and desperate to persuade authorities that the nearly perfected bomb should not be used as planned. Eleanor thinks Leo may be a spy but still feels the need to help him, and Leo is dead set against revealing his secret to her, which sets up the small tension in this felicitous but somewhat distant story. Though the characters are nicely drawn, the urgency that belongs here doesn't materialize, and fact and fiction sit together a little too uneasily. This fiction debut by the author of Practicing Resurrection is a solid read but not a wholly persuasive one. For larger fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/06.]—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

When Miami attorney Jack Swyteck agrees to defend Falcon, a homeless man living in an abandoned car, he soon finds out that his client is far more complex than he could have ever imagined. Throughout, Falcon's mysterious past unravels, from his obsession with the mayor's daughter to the $200,000 cache he's hidden in an offshore bank account. Swyteck's role quickly turns from lawyer to hostage negotiator as Falcon acts out his delusions in unexpected ways, taking some of Miami's more prominent citizens on a harrowing ride with the ghosts of his past. Grippando's (Lying with Strangers) sixth installment in the Swyteck series once again features Theo, the sidekick whom Swyteck saved from death row. The duo must prevent Falcon from acting out his desperate, paranoid agenda and destroying more lives. If Falcon's secrets ever get out, the whole political foundation of Miami will be shattered. Combining the heart-pounding pace of a David Baldacci novel and the sharp wit of William Lashner fare, Grippando builds on his résumé of best-selling legal thrillers with another winner. Recommended for all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/06.]—Ken Bolton, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY

In his second work (after Waiting for an Angel), Habila chronicles Nigeria's recent history as witnessed by a single family living in the village of Keti. Twins Mamo and LaMamo grow up in a motherless home with a domineering father and a wonderful aunt. Both boys dream of leaving the village someday. Mamo runs off as a teenager and becomes a soldier, meets the woman of his dreams, and moves to Liberia. LaMamo, a gifted writer afflicted with sickle cell anemia as a child, becomes a teacher and then secretary to the Mai (local political leader), whose biography he is asked to pen. Initially, he plans to use Plutarch's Parallel Lives as a model, but political events cause him to change the book's structure and make it a history of intertwining lives. This flawlessly written tale of life and love transports readers to the hot, dusty village of Keti and into the lives of the Lamang family. Habila's writing is powerful, gripping, and poetic without becoming sentimental. Habila is a fantastic author with a brilliant future; highly recommended for both public and academic libraries.—Lisa Rohrbaugh, East Palestine Memorial P.L., OH

It's just as long-suffering and insufferable U.S. Army lawyer Sean Drummond is finally promoted that his real troubles begin. Drummond, the protagonist of Haig's previous novels (e.g., Private Sector), is called on to investigate the kinky death of an influential defense official. Was it suicide or murder? If it was murder, is there a cover-up? And does the case involve events leading up to the Iraq war? Aided by an attractive female army officer of Vietnamese descent, Drummond starts to unravel a complex plot that leads to Baghdad and concerns people very high up in the government who desperately want Drummond stopped. Haig's novels always feature excellent writing, smart dialog, interesting characters, intriguing and often Byzantine plots, and lots of action, and this book is no exception. Everyone is out to get or discredit Drummond, who's always underestimated. A marvelously twisted plot and marvelously twisted characters help along a tale in which Drummond actually gets to act a little human. Great entertainment; highly recommended. [Prepub Alert LJ, 9/15/06.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

Phillip Noble's father is killed in a car accident, and suddenly Uncle Alan is hanging around Phillip's mother. It isn't long before the ghost of Phillip's dad appears and tells the 11 year old that the death was no accident. The ghost also tells Phillip about the dead fathers club, whose members are doomed to an eternity of terrors because their murders were never avenged. The only solution is for Phillip to murder his uncle before his father's next birthday. Unsure of what to do, Phillip rents a DVD, The Murder of Gonzago: A Brother's Murder, a Son's Revenge, to see how his uncle reacts. Haig (The Last Family in England) neatly sustains the Hamlet parallel, giving Phillip a girlfriend named Leah whose father is a bit meddlesome and revealing Phillip's uncertainty about whether to believe the ghost. Yet Phillip is no prince—in fact, he's a bumbling boy—and unlike Hamlet's father, this ghost hangs around quite a bit. What makes this work effective is that the narrative captures the anxiety of a timid boy, ridiculed by everyone, who must decide whether and how to kill his charismatic uncle. Hamlet never faced such difficulties. Recommended.—Joshua Cohen, Mid-Hudson Lib. Syst., Poughkeepsie, NY

Hambly's new historical novel (after The Emancipator's Wife) opens with First Lady Dolley Madison waiting anxiously for husband "Jemmy" and deciding what to save if they must flee the White House during the War of 1812. She is thus reminded of her predecessors Martha Washington and Abigail Adams, as well as Sally Hemings, and each of these women has her turn at personal narratives, which take place at critical points in the nation's early years and in their personal lives. The perspective offered is distinctly feminine and gives readers a sense of peeking backstage at a play they know well. This reviewer had never thought of our first President as devastatingly attractive to women or realized that the capable John and Abigail Adams dealt with alcoholism in their family, or even that these notable women interacted so extensively. The issues of those early days—e.g., is liberty a right or a threat to home and wealth?—still resound 200 years later. Look no further for a title to recommend as a reading group choice for the upcoming election years. This will appeal to all Americans of every political camp and will generate lively discussion. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/06.]—Mary Kay Bird-Guilliams, Wichita P.L., KS

Jaws and slasher films meet in the Pacific Northwest woods in this inane debut thriller by Hansen (coauthor, Confessions of an Enron Executive: A Whistleblower's Story). Ty Greenwood saw Bigfoot a couple of years ago, and it changed his life forever. Everyone made fun of him—even his wife didn't believe his story—but when people start disappearing and their mutilated bodies are found near the forest, Ty knows that Bigfoot has begun his rampage. The police, however, believe that Ty is the serial killer and that his wild story is just an excuse. If a character smokes, swears, or has wild sex, that person is guaranteed to appear on Bigfoot's menu and be devoured in increasingly gruesome ways. The story line is more ridiculous than scary and doesn't even strive to reach the value of "camp classic." The afterword explains why the author believes in Bigfoot and gives a historical rundown of the legend. Good luck staying awake to actually make it to the end. Not recommended.—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

As a fledgling journalist, Joe Oakes wrote an exposé of a faith healer and gained an enemy. Twenty years later, after building a career as a hoax-busting investigative journalist, Oakes hears new rumors about his nemesis, Malachi Dove, who lives on an island off of Scotland with his followers. Oakes finagles his way onto the island and uncovers horrific events. Even as he and his wife (who narrates some of the novel's middle chapters) try to help Dove's daughter overcome a physical malady, they become trapped in a deadly game. Hayder (The Devil of Nanking) skillfully builds suspense, developing her characters and creating a tense, oppressive atmosphere; the result is another creepy, suspenseful thriller. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/06.]—Beth Lindsay, Washington State Univ. Lib., Pullman

According to an October 19 USA TODAY story, Morrow picked up this first novel by a two-time Bram Stoker Award winner on its own literary merits, not knowing that Hill is the pen name of Joe King, son of Stephen. This reviewer wishes he had had the same opportunity. It's impossible to read this wrenching and effective ghost story without seeing Hill's father in it—which is not to say that it's bad. It reads like good, early King mixed with some of the edgier splatterpunk sensibilities of David J. Schow (The Kill Riff). Aging death-metal guitarist Judas Coyne, who's obsessed with the macabre, is living peacefully in upstate New York when he buys a dead man's haunted suit from an online auction site. (It arrives in a heart-shaped box.) Soon he and young Goth girlfriend Georgia are pulled into battle with the ghostly old man and their own shattered pasts. Predictable at times, the book has genuinely touching emotional moments as well as action-packed confrontations with the dead. Morrow has a huge media push behind this book, and film rights have already been sold to Warner Brothers. Recommended for all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/06.]—Karl G. Siewert, Tulsa City-Cty. Lib.

In the latest installment (after Countdown) of Johansen's engrossing suspense series starring forensic sculptor Eve Duncan, Eve agrees to travel from Atlanta to Colombia to reconstruct the skull of weapons dealer Luis Montalvo's deceased wife. In exchange, Montalvo will release a man he is holding hostage and help Eve discover what became of her daughter, Bonnie, who was kidnapped years ago. Eve's visit to Colombia is fraught with danger and mystery as she finds herself in the middle of a deadly conflict between Montalvo and drug lord Diaz, who murdered Montalvo's wife, Nalia. As she begins reconstructing Nalia's skull, Eve finds herself unwittingly attracted to Montalvo, even as her lover, Detective Joe Quinn, comes to Colombia to take Eve back to safety in Atlanta. Johansen's latest is a first-rate suspense thriller complete with expertly developed characters involved in a world of intrigue where nothing is quite as it seems. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/06.]—Sheri Melnick, Harrisburg, PA

Twenty years after Fatal Attraction, a dead rabbit on the first page is still a red flag for a seemingly monogamous marriage. Middle-aged community college professor Sherry Seymour and her husband, Jon, are adjusting to life as empty nesters when an anonymous valentine appears in Sherry's campus mailbox. After receiving increasingly suggestive notes, Sherry begins buying new clothes and viewing each man she sees as a potential paramour. Her husband, meanwhile, becomes increasingly passionate as he fantasizes about his wife with another man. Make-believe makes way for betrayal when Sherry takes her husband's suggestions to heart and starts an affair with a colleague. Novelist and poet Kasischke (White Bird in a Blizzard) does a good job of building the domestic tension, and while an explosion is imminent, the way in which it is finally ignited comes as a surprise. Dead animals (rabbits, squirrels, a deer) litter Sherry's life, each decaying body a reminder of the passing of time and the consequences of carelessness. Recommended for larger public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/06.]—Karen Kleckner, Deerfield P.L., IL

Kyle's novel begins as adolescent narrator Alice Winston recounts the almost simultaneous departure of her sister, Nona, who elopes with a rodeo cowboy, and the drowning of Polly Cain, one of Alice's classmates. These events loom like specters over the rest of the novel, which brims with a confidence and assuredness atypical of a debut. In light of Nona's exodus, Alice becomes her father's primary assistant in tending the family's barn and her bedridden mother's intermediary to the outside world. Alice's penchant for prevarication—she makes a pretense of having been Polly Cain's best friend—helps her repel this harsh reality. In Alice, Kyle has created an adolescent voice that is charming and authentic but that also has its irksome tics: surprising events always inspire such hyperbolic responses as "the air around me sucked to the rims of the earth" and "Everything was coming undone…the entire world breaking into pieces beneath me." In the long run, though, this is a carp, as the voice exerts an irresistible pull. The prospect of other people leaving—Alice's father with a woman he trains—and the revelation of characters' secrets keep the reader glued to the story. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/06.]—David Doerrer, Library Journal

Francesca is a 20-year-old lesbian hopelessly infatuated with Irene, her community-college philosophy professor. Irene has taken a sabbatical to live in San Francisco for the year, and Francesca, at loose ends, follows her there in hopes of being included in her inner circle. The narrative traces Francesca's struggles to make sense of her feelings for Irene as well as Irene's complex relationship with Jenny and Gustavo, coinhabitants of Simplicity House, as they call their communal house, which is anything but simple. In her debut novel, Liebegott (creative writing, Univ. of California, San Diego; The Beautifully Worthless) is at her best when regaling the reader with life at the International House of Pancakes (IHOP), where Francesca works as a waitress to pay the rent, and anyone who has ever waited tables will relate. In her own naïve way, Francesca makes hilarious, on-target observations about Irene's self-centered idealism and her penchant for surrounding herself with people who worship her. But the true center of the story is Francesca's own sense of self-worth and her struggle to find her way amid the craziness. Recommended for larger public libraries.—Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland Lib., OR

For a novel so meticulously researched for over seven years, this work doesn't quite live up to its potential. Longfellow (China Blues) gives us a portrait of the Magdalene drawn from the Nag Hammadi library, a collection of 13 codices containing Gnostic scriptures discovered in Egypt in 1945. Thus, at the book's start, we learn that Mary is a gnosis—that is, she has the gift of divine vision. It is this vision that finds her removed from the home of her father and settled in with a crowd known to John the Baptizer. Eventually, she comes to know his cousin Yeshua. She does not meet him as Mary but as the disciple John. This dramatic retelling of the Jesus story provides a fresh look at what other books (Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Kathleen McGowan's The Expected One, Tucker Malarky's Resurrection) have only hinted at—the idea of Mary Magdalene as disciple. Unfortunately, the first half of the novel is so slow moving that readers may lose interest before getting into the meat of the story. Recommended for larger public and academic libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/06.]—Nanci Milone Hill, Nevins Memorial Lib., Metheun, MA

Effectively re-creating the atmosphere of Eastern Europe and Gypsy culture from before World War II to the 1950s and later, McCann (This Side of Brightness) retraces the life of a gifted Gypsy poet and singer named Zoli Novotna, based on the real-life Papusza. When security police murder her family, Zoli and her grandfather escape to join another group of Gypsies. Her artistic gifts become obvious as she grows older, and after she survives the Nazi regime, her local renown reaches the ears of a publisher and critic who works with her to formalize her creative output. She also gets mixed up with Czechoslovakia's fledgling Communist government, believing that the Gypsies can secure a better life by cooperating with the authorities, but this leads to brutality and oppression. Banished by the Gypsies and hunted by the Communists, Zoli begins a long and harrowing journey to the West. McCann has an affinity for outcasts and the homeless, and the depiction of Zoli's journey through forests and farmlands toward the Austrian border is forceful. Well written, though at times overly detailed, this haunting novel is recommended for larger fiction collections.—Jim Coan, SUNY Coll. at Oneonta

After several heartbreaking experiences, Rachel Greer has sworn off dating forever. Then a chance encounter puts Rachel in the path of the goddess Venus, banished to Earth by an angry Zeus who further punishes her by forcing her to serve as fairy godmother to young women needing love in their lives. McKelden's Venus is the epitome of the chick-lit cliché—shallow, manipulative, and obsessed with shoes, shopping, and men—the better to contrast with the gentle, altruistic Rachel, who, much to Venus's chagrin, volunteers at a soup kitchen for fun. Venus wants to get away from Rachel and Rachel wants Venus out of her apartment, but the only way to get Venus to leave is for Rachel to find her true love. He's not hard to find, but the trick is for Venus to help Rachel let go of her past and give in to love—which she does, because she's a goddess with a lot of tricks up her sleeve. Fans of chick lit with a lighthearted paranormal element (think MaryJanice Davidson) will find much to enjoy in this debut. Recommended.—Nanette Donohue, Champaign P.L., IL

Mailer's first novel in a decade is a deceptively dry psychobiography of young Adolf Hitler or, more accurately, of Hitler's dysfunctional family. Mailer's unreliable narrator, one of Heinrich Himmler's SS investigators, painstakingly documents the family curse of incest and concludes that Hitler's father, a womanizing customs official, married his own illegitimate daughter. But as the book unfolds, the narrator also reveals that he is really a devil working directly for the Evil One. Since the story ends before the outbreak of World War I, readers hoping for battlefield action or beer hall brawls will be disappointed. Instead, lengthy chapters are devoted to the family's doomed attempts at commercial honey production. Longtime Mailer fans will spot provocative tie-ins to many of the earlier novels, including The Naked and the Dead (1948) and The Gospel According to the Son (1996). Who knew that Mailer was an amateur theologian? This gloomy and claustrophobic book is unlikely to become a best seller, but it is an important addition to the Mailer canon and an essential purchase for collections of postwar American fiction. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/06.]—Edward B. St. John, Loyola Law Sch. Lib., Los Angeles

You are a Polish sculptress, Karolina Staszek, who comes to New York and does child care for a Jewish family. One day you notice a picture of their recently deceased uncle, and this triggers memories that he is possibly your father, who hid his daughter with a gentile family during World War II. Uncle Jake left a large estate, and the family suspects that you are merely a fortune hunter. Most skeptical of all is Jake's nephew Philip Landau, who stands to lose the inheritance if your story is true. Despite Philip's initial suspicions, he comes to believe you might be telling the truth, and the two of you travel to Poland to investigate your background. What you find out is a stunning denouement to a well-crafted mystery by Mekler (Sunrise Shows Late). This post-Holocaust story is narrated by both protagonists, adding depth and resonance to a gripping read. Not to be missed by anyone who loves a tale well told.—Edward Cone, New York

In this brief novel, celebrated Italian novelist Moravia (The Conformist) probes many issues, including literary inspiration, the effect of a muse on both creativity and self-discovery, and the possibilities of platonic and conjugal love. Silvio Baldeschi is a wealthy man with a beautiful young wife named Leda. A successful critic, Silvio believes that there is a literary masterpiece inside him somewhere. After giving up the nightly pleasures of his wife's bed so that he can concentrate on his writing, he discovers that she is having an affair with his barber, Antonio. In a fury of inspiration he writes out their own story and, upon typing it from his handwritten pages, discovers that it is as mediocre as his true relationship with Leda. Boasting a fluid style that is elegant yet simple, Moravia is a master of writing about men and women and their love lives. Recommended for all libraries that collect classics and novels about male-female relationships.—Lisa Rohrbaugh, East Palestine Memorial P.L., OH

Charlie McLeod, a middle-aged man broken by a teenage injury that took away his ability to play the game he loved and by a more recent divorce, takes a job as a caddy at a San Francisco-area golf course. He falls in with the other misfits who fill the caddy shack and becomes involved with Sarah, the daughter of the owner of the hotel at which he's staying. He also meets Daniel Lang, a rich and powerful businessman. Hitting some balls around, Charlie discovers that he has regained some of the ability that once made him state champion back in Pennsylvania, and Lang arranges a match between Charlie and Larry Siegal, a Los Angeles golfer with shady connections. There's far more riding on the outcome than just money. An appealing first novel about the redemptive power of golf, this seems a natural for Hollywood; recommended for public libraries.—Lawrence Rungren, Merrimack Valley Lib. Consortium, Andover, MA

Teresa of Avila (1515-82), Spain's most popular saint, was sent by her family to live in a convent when she was a teen. During her life as a nun, she suffered from chronic illness and constant surveillance by the Spanish Inquisition. Teresa was a woman of many parts—mystic, aesthete, religious reformer, theologian, and intellectual. Mujica's (Spanish, Georgetown Univ.) novelization of Teresa's life, recorded by Teresa's poor (but conveniently literate) servant and life companion, Sister Angelica, makes Teresa even more—sensual, sexual, histrionic, and protofeminist. Unfortunately, while Teresa's life would be a marvelous subject for a novel, this telling, like Mujica's Frida, suffers from some serious flaws. The eroticism and lesbianism are laid on rather thickly and the abundance of late 20th-century colloquialisms (e.g., "bullshit," "swishy," "stickler for detail") are distracting; nor is Teresa's feminism believable. Not recommended.—Mary Margaret Benson, Linfield Coll. Lib., McMinnville, OR

Flight attendant Hailey Lane has been uncommitted and capricious lately, especially since catching her boyfriend in flagrante, and her life and job are going nowhere. She used to enjoy work (especially the company of her coworker and best friend, Clay) but has tired of arduous shifts and nitpicking bosses who reprimand her for wearing opaque pantyhose with her uniform. Amid rumors of company downsizing, she returns to her dream of writing a novel. When she misplaces her long-unfinished manuscript on a flight, it is returned to her by Dane, a handsome passenger. Hailey then effortlessly finishes and submits her novel among flings in exotic Paris and Greece and misunderstandings with Dane, who gets worked in as Hailey's love interest—though for all but the last few pages she claims she can't stand him. Former flight attendant and current YA novelist Noël (Faking 19) shines when describing the minutiae of a flight attendant's life, but Hailey's growth as a person and author and her relationship with Dane are so glossed over that she remains more self-entitled than enlightened. Despite this flaw, Noël has penned a solid adult novel debut.—Lisa Davis-Craig, Canton P.L., MI

Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, O'Hagan's third novel features Father David Anderton, a proud descendant of Lancashire's Catholic martyrs, who undergoes his own ordeal when he transfers to the deprived parish of Dalgarnock. Though born in Edinburgh, he is perceived as an Englishman among Scots, an Oxford-educated wine sipper amid the ale-drinking unemployed, and a Catholic priest in an angrily Protestant town: "Northern Ireland was just across the water, and what Dalgarnock had was a briny dilution of Ireland's famous troubles, without the interest in votes, assemblies or breakable guns." Aware of all this yet politically naïve, Father David alienates locals with his insistence on high culture and tentative support for the Iraq war. When he falls into an uneasy friendship with two teenage hoodlums—whose bracing portrayal make them recognizable to any teacher—the plot takes a predictable turn toward priests behaving badly and the ensuing small-town witch trial. Though that story has been told before, O'Hagan keeps both accused and accusers human and even noble. The most minor characters are drawn with truth and complexity, and O'Hagan's prose is stylistically dazzling, as crafted and lovely as the best poetry. Recommended for most collections.—Leora Bersohn, doctoral student, Columbia Univ., New York

This novel intertwines two stories—one concerning immigrant Jem Hallam, who has come to the newly established Toronto to set up a chemist shop, and the other set in the modern city and concerning David Hollis, a forensic geologist coping with Lou Gehrig's disease. David recently published a monograph about an early witness to Toronto's beginnings, but because he won't produce the diary he claims as the basis for his findings, the academic establishment considers him a fraud. Ten weeks after the book's publication, David commits suicide, leaving behind his wife, Marianne, and two daughters to cope with their grief. Worrying that she didn't spend enough time listening to David, Marianne attempts to compensate by arranging to excavate part of the city's harbor to find a ship David believed contains photographs of 19th-century Toronto supporting his claims. Jem's story unfolds along with the excavation, and the tales eventually come together. Redhill (Martin Sloane) has created a story that questions what history is and the search for meaning, but the stories don't always mesh, and readers may find the contemporary tale more compelling than the historical background. For large literary collections.—Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH

Gifted healer Margaret of Ashbury, now Lady Margaret de Vilers, returns to readers after too long a hiatus (see In Pursuit of the Green Lion, 1990) as mother of a rambunctious brood and wife to Sir Gilbert de Vilers (a.k.a. Brother Gregory), the Duke of Lancaster's official chronicler. Life would appear to be looking up for this former village girl; however, a legal dispute over Gilbert's father's prized oak grove and the mysterious pool within it embroils her in village affairs, nearly costing her her life and threatening her children despite her special powers. This work is a riotous Chaucerian mixture of the sacred and the pagan, the lordly and the lowly, the human and the heroic, delivered with a humorous twist sure to delight everyone. Hopefully, this colorful and enthralling picture of 14th-century England, painted by an author with a wonderfully unique voice, will bring Riley the widespread recognition she deserves. Highly recommended. [Originally published in Germany and now available for the first time in English, this is the final book in the "Margaret of Ashbury" trilogy; reading group guide included.—Ed.]—Cynthia Johnson, Cary Memorial Lib., Lexington, MA

Roby (Changing Faces) dives back into the life of her most famous character, the philandering Rev. Curtis Black. Now a best-selling author who is always on the road, Curtis battles it out with his attention-starved third wife, Charlotte. Aware of her husband's past and anxious because she herself has skeletons in the closet, Charlotte decides to hire a private detective to check out his suspicious behavior. Meanwhile, Curtis's mysterious brother appears wanting a relationship with Curtis, who seems to want nothing to do with him. Things take a turn for the worse when Charlotte begins to realize that her past decisions may now be affecting the couple's daughter, Marissa. Readers will be left wondering if love will be enough to save this union when all of the lies are brought out into the open. Recommended for public libraries with contemporary African American fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/06.]—Lisa Jones, Birmingham P.L., AL

First-generation Indian American Anjali Kumar is psychic, but her parents made her promise never to tell anyone. When her computer-programming job is outsourced to India, she undergoes a crisis—should she look for another programming job or attempt to make a living using her psychic abilities? A chance encounter with Scott Wilder, founder of the ghost-hunting company the Cold Spot, has her teaming up with Scott and Coulter Marshall, a charming Tennessean with alarmingly powerful telekinetic powers to cleanse Bay Area homes and businesses of their paranormal baggage. But poltergeists aren't the only trouble for Anjali—she finds herself in the middle of a love triangle with her two coworkers, and a very human villain named Vivica Bates is set on causing trouble for the Cold Spot. This is Singh's third novel (after Goddess for Hire and Bollywood Confidential) about young Indian American women who are blessed—or, occasionally, cursed—with special powers or talents. It's a formula, but as in Singh's earlier books, the result is fast paced and clever, and it works. Recommended for chick-lit collections.—Nanette Donohue, Champaign P.L., IL

Sasha Goldberg is a biracial Russian Jewish girl growing up in the early 1990s in Asbestos 2, a small, remote town in Russia named for its asbestos mine. Sasha is unattractive, unpopular, and a constant disappointment to her class-conscious mother. Her acceptance to an after-school arts program triggers sea changes: she develops a friend from the wrong side of town, falls in love with the girl's brother, and, at 14, ends up pregnant. When Sasha's mother takes on the child as her own, Sasha moves to Arizona as a mail-order bride, becomes a combination charity project and slave for a family in Chicago, and ends up in New York, where she reencounters her past. While often humorous, Ulinich's first novel feelingly tackles many difficult issues: motherhood, an immigrant's desperate attempts to escape her family and her country, both racial and national identity, and the lengths to which people will go to get by in this world. Recommended for larger public libraries and collections of Russian American fiction.—Sarah Conrad Weisman, Corning Community Coll., NY

Freelance journalist Ridley Jones stops by the photo lab to pick up her pictures and is taken in for questioning by FBI agents on her way home. It seems that a mysterious figure is hovering in the background in several of her photos, and Special Agent Dylan Grace believes that the figure is Ridley's Uncle Max, whom she thought was dead. In Unger's follow-up to Beautiful Lies, Ridley must face the fact that her beloved uncle may not only be alive but that he wasn't the man she believed him to be. The FBI wants her to lead its agents to him, but she doesn't completely trust anyone now, including her boyfriend, Jake, who informs her that Max was part of a vicious crime ring. Determined to discover the truth in the web of lies surrounding her, Ridley decides to do some investigating on her own and encounters danger and deception at every turn. A fast-paced story that readers will find difficult to put down; recommended.—Linda Oliver, MLIS, Colorado Springs

This first novel by British historian Weir (The Life of Elizabeth I), who addresses the life of Lady Jane Grey, is a treat for fans of meaty historical fiction. Well written and researched, it succeeds as a thoroughly involving novel by bringing a disparate, sympathetic group of characters to life. Lady Jane, known to history as the Nine Days Queen, is a tragic and appealing figure. Abused by her parents, this talented and intelligent girl was bullied into a hateful marriage and pushed into accepting the Crown after the death of King Edward VI. Edward's older sister, Princess Mary (later known as Bloody Mary, and for good reason), rightfully claimed the Crown as her own, and Jane was sent to the Tower of London and eventually executed. Weir tells the story of Jane's short life from multiple viewpoints, which might initially confuse readers unfamiliar with the history, but this is a small fault in an otherwise entertaining and moving novel. Sure to be popular with those who enjoy the works of Philippa Gregory (The Other Boleyn Girl), this London Times best seller is highly recommended for all public libraries.—Elizabeth M. Mellett, P.L. of Brookline, MA

The mothers and sons in Tóibín's superlative first collection resist the changes wrought by transformative events. With precise and poignant detail, Tóibín, twice short-listed for the Booker Prize (for The Blackwater Lightship and The Master), reveals how they try to normalize their respective situations. In "A Priest in the Family," a mother, after learning of a heinous crime her son committed, forces herself to drink scalding tea to prove to herself that she could face anything. After a renowned singer performs a song for an audience that includes her estranged son ("A Song"), he immediately leaves, motivated by a desire to prove to himself the insignificance of the act. In "A Long Winter," Tóibín's best and longest effort in the collection, a depressed mother unexpectedly walks off from her home and gets caught in a blizzard that marks the beginning of a tempestuous winter. The story traces her husband's and son's thoughts and habits while they wait for the spring thaw. Even though they and the reader know the mother's fate early, Tóibín is able to craft a painfully unequivocal denouement. Recommended for most fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/06.]—David Doerrer, Library Journal

New York TV producer Evangeline Harker travels to Transylvania to interview reputed Eastern European crime boss Ion Torgu for a segment on The Hour. They meet one evening in the town of Brasov, where Torgu strongly suggests that they will be more comfortable at his own hotel in a desolate area only a short distance away. Although wary of this sinister man, Evangeline reluctantly agrees but that night finds herself locked in her room. Her attempt to escape takes her down an unlit, fetid stairwell, where she encounters Torgu at his most monstrous, chanting words of death and feasting on blood. Meanwhile, back in New York, Evangeline's family and coworkers realize that she has disappeared, no one can locate her, and mysterious coffinlike boxes are being delivered to the television studio. Marks (The Wall) has written an electrifying modern tale of horror that pays homage to Bram Stoker's Dracula. He goes much further, however, creating a hideous vampire more horrifying than anything that ever came from Stoker's imagination. Highly recommended for all fiction and horror collections.[See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/06.]—Patricia Altner, BiblioInfo.com, Columbia, MD

A raunchy slapstick comedy of young vampires in love, Moore's sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends (1995) features Tommy and Jody trying to make an undeath for themselves after Jody kills her lover/food source, Tommy, and turns him into a vampire. They have a few problems—like finding a new food source (Chet the giant cat might not have been a good idea), recruiting minions to help them when the sun is up, and dealing with a homicidal elder vampire. There is also a blue-skinned mercenary Las Vegas prostitute, the drug-crazed band of stoners with whom Tommy used to work, the Emperor of San Francisco, and a tough-talking but hopelessly romantic and perky Goth girl named Abby Normal who sees the vampire Flood (19-year-old Tommy) as her Dark Master. Moore is in top form, and this reviewer laughed all the way through this page-turner. Enthusiastically recommended for all adult fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/06.]—Ken St. Andre, Phoenix P.L.

By Jackie Cassada, Asheville Buncombe Lib. Syst., NC

As the German and Japanese governments race to develop an atomic bomb, the newly strengthened Soviet Union poses its own threat to a world at war. Adm. Philip Kohlhammer, who "Transitioned" from the future into 1942, must somehow ensure an Allied victory to preserve the world's future intact. Like fellow author Harry Turtledove, Birmingham applies his talent for alternate history to the events of World War II. Part historical sf, part technothriller, this well-researched tale of warriors transported in time belongs, with its series predecessors (Weapons of Choice; Designated Targets), in most libraries.

When an ancient evil threatens the world of Ellynrie, a retired mercenary, his rebellious daughter, and an apprentice wizard are brought together to protect a crippled boy from the twisted plans of a brother he never knew. College sophomore Bowling's first novel, begun while he was still in high school, spins a tale of high fantasy on the surface, but deeper down it explores the struggles of youth coming into adulthood and the need to bridge the gap between the generations in order to win safety for the world. This standalone tale leaves room for further adventures and is a good choice for adult and YA readers. Recommended for most libraries.

This eerie collection includes five chilling tales with a common motif—a deserted highway with a ruined gas station where an old black man gives a traveler a special gift that could change his or her destiny. From Thomas F. Monteleone's story of a reporter's collision with the truth ("The Prime Time of Spenser Golding") to Harry Shannon's depiction of a detective's journey into darkness ("Behold the Child"), these tales delve into the realm of nightmare and wish fulfillment. Contributions by Scott Nicholson, Tim Waggoner, and Mike Oliveri, together with a narrative thread by editor Burke, round out this anthology; for larger horror collections.

The ruthless High Lord of Kalare has declared open revolt against First Lord Gaius Sextus, who allies with the rival Lord of Aquitaine to hold his realm together. While the Countess Amara, a Cursor, or protector of the realm, embarks on a perilous mission to rescue hostages from the heart of the Lord of Kalare's stronghold, young Tavi, a member of the First Lord's household, is sent away from the war—though he finds a way to bring the war to him. The third volume of Butcher's newest series (after Furies of Calderon and Academ's Fury), set in a world reminiscent of the Roman Empire but powered by elemental magic, brings to a climax one portion of his epic tale, leaving room for further volumes. The author of the "Dresden Files" modern fantasy series is equally familiar with old-style, "classic" fantasy, demonstrating his skill in complex plotting and vivid world crafting to masterly effect. A welcome addition, along with series predecessors, to most fantasy collections.

Suspended by huge chains over a supposedly bottomless abyss, the city of Deepgate looms as a bastion of the Church of Ulcis, protector of the souls of the dead and leader-to-be of an army of souls that will reclaim Heaven for its own. Deepgate is also home to two angels, one an untried youth, the other a maddened murderer, yet together they possess the means to uncover the alarming truth that exists within the abyss. This first novel by the designer and programmer of the Grand Theft Auto video games revolves around a fresh fantasy premise, featuring memorable characters, a multilayered plot, and graphic and intense action scenes. Not surprisingly, Campbell's world building is a visual delight, and his series opener belongs in most fantasy collections.

While witches spend their own life force to power their magic, shortening their existence with each use of their gift, wizards draw their magic from a source known only to themselves. No woman has ever mastered the right to call herself a magister—until a young woman named Kamela discovers the sacrifice that transforms her into something more than a witch, and her power may be the spark that brings the world to the brink of madness. The author of the best-selling "Coldfire Trilogy" (Black Sun Rising; When True Night Falls; Crown of Shadows) creates a world in which magic comes with a high price and the world's greatest struggles occur within the souls of men and women. Friedman's storytelling acumen and her ability to create unforgettably complex characters make this series opener an essential addition to any library's fantasy collection.

Actor and playwright Nicholas Rakehell dabbles in minor magic and dreams of a life of wealth and luxury while traveling through the countryside with a troupe of misfit actors. When he and his comrades visit the city of Skyhaven, they are commandeered into taking part in a real battle on behalf of the missing god Skymark against his archenemy, the demon Asmodel. Gillan's first novel brings a comic touch to a fantasy adventure, giving a whole new meaning to the struggle between good and evil. A rollicking story for fantasy readers and theater buffs, this is suitable for large fantasy collections.

From an eerie tale of a nursery rhyme gone disastrously wrong ("For Now It's Eight O'Clock") to the subtle menace of a communal delusion among space colonists ("Volunteers"), the 13 stories collected here exemplify Irvine's astonishing storytelling ingenuity. Unexpected turns of plot and mesmerizing character studies bring these genre-crossing stories to new heights of excellence. Fine work from the author of A Scattering of Jades and The Narrows, this volume belongs in most libraries.

When former military special operative Blaine Donne takes up private investigation on the planet Devanta, he encounters a series of mysteries involving a woman with no past or present. Discovery of the creation of a contiguous universe by a brilliant scientist backed by funds from an unknown source draw Donne into a dangerous conflict that threatens to erupt into an interstellar war. Prolific sf author Modesitt (the "Spellsong Cycle") creates a far-future tale of intrigue and mystery featuring a tough but admirable sleuth. In all likelihood, future installments will follow this sturdy addition to most sf collections.

Hidden since birth in the contemporary world, Miranda Popescu and best friends Peter and Andromeda find their way to another, parallel world in which Roumania, though occupied by the Germans, is still a world power and in which Miranda is a political figure at the center of a war of strategy and peril. When circumstances deliver her into the hands of the mad Baroness Nicola Ceausescu, the puppet ruler of Roumania, Miranda must find a way to rescue her friends and deliver her nation from insanity and oppression. Continuing the story begun in A Princess of Roumania and The Tourmaline, Park leads his heroine down intricate paths between her two disparate worlds as she comes closer to a resolution of her destiny. This tightly woven tale illumined by history and myth is a good addition to most fantasy and YA collections.

After his crew rescued him from trumped-up court martial charges, Capt. Wilson Cole, formerly a member of the galactic Republic and now an outlaw, decides to turn to piracy to survive. His version of what pirates do, however, differs from the standard pillage-and-plunder mode; other pirates are his chosen quarry. This sequel to Starship: Mutiny, set in Resnick's Birthright Universe (A Hunger in the Soul; "The Widowmaker" series) shows the author's genuine flair for spinning a good yarn. Snappy dialog, intriguing human and alien characters, and a keen sense of dramatic focus make this a strong addition to most sf collections, with particular appeal to the sf action-adventure readership.

When her House falls prey to bandits, Lyra is rescued by Sadrao, a dog-soldier from Khamir, who takes her under his protection. She joins him, along with a pair of female elves and a sorceror's unpredictable half-blood offspring, on his journey to the distant city of Knaxos and the legendary House of Diamond. Political and social intrigue as well as swordplay mark fantasy illustrator Vernon's first novel, the first of two volumes that combine high fantasy with themes involving intelligent animal races. Larger libraries may wish to consider for their fantasy collections.

By the 24th century, the alien Gbaba Empire has nearly destroyed the human race. Only a small survivor colony remains on the world of Safehold. Reduced to a pretechnological level to avoid detection from their enemies, the people have abandoned Arabic numerals, higher mathematics, and the written records of their true past, substituting a false history to prevent a resurgence of technology and, eventually, space travel. Now it is time for a change, but only a few have a chance at uncovering the truth. In his first book for Tor, the author of the popular Honor Harrington novels embarks on a new sf epic of cultural evolution and humanity's need to conquer the unknown. Rich backgrounds and vivid characters combine to make this series opener a priority purchase for sf collections.

As a deep friendship grows between Arthur and the Frankish warrior Clothar (otherwise known as Lancelot), so does the need for a visible symbol of a Britain united under a high king. Thus King Arthur creates his knights from his best warriors, and the legend of Camulod is born. Told through the voice of Clothar, the final volume in Whyte's multivolume reworking of the Arthurian legend casts a different light on Arthur's marriage to Gwinnifer and to his relationship to his son Mordred. Exacting period detail and inventive uses of traditional parts of the Arthurian legend make this story, along with its predecessors, a welcome addition to the many retellings of a classic tale. A good choice for most libraries, with particular appeal to fans of historical fantasy and the Arthur cycle.