Fiction

Written in the form of a memoir, short story writer Allison's debut novel starts out strong: "I was sentenced to life on my grandfather's dairy farm in the summer of 1976," says narrator Holly Greer. Unable to cope with his wife's accidental death, her father left Holly, then just five, in the care of his father-in-law and drank his way through a series of dead-end jobs in no-name towns. Holly grew up with her mother's stubborn nature, her father's alcoholic tendencies, and a hole in her heart the size of South Carolina. She's frustrated no end by her grandfather's favorite saying—"it's not what they take away from you that counts; it's what you do with what you have left"—and her life is a slow struggle to come to terms with her intense feelings of longing and loss. Allison's writing is personal and direct, his characters are interesting but not quirky, and Southern racing lore adds color (Holly's mom was a stockcar racer). The troubled but ultimately loving relationship between Holly and Lyle, her solid, much-abused husband, is reminiscent of an Anne Lamott novel. For most public libraries.—Christine Perkins, Burlington P.L., WA

This book arrives at a crucial moment in our history as the decision is being made whether to expand or terminate the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Allowing for some past perspective, the narrative attempts to shed light on the terrorized life of certain Iraqi citizens under Saddam Hussein's rule. Unfortunately, this light is muted by a story that is thoroughly confusing and difficult to follow. At only 112 pages, the book feels rushed, with plotlines and characters receiving short shrift. Even as Antoon chronicles his protagonist's chilling imprisonment and torture, he focuses on certain tangential details at the expense of larger themes, which leaves readers frustrated. Antoon, who left Iraq for this country in 1991, has written a novel that may be historically and culturally important but, unlike works by contemporaries Orhan Pamuk and Tayeb Salih, for example, is not of such literary importance that it will endure beyond the current moment. Suitable for academic libraries only.—Christopher Bussmann, Pratt Inst. Lib., Brooklyn

Coleridge's background as former editor of Harpers & Queen (now Harper's Bazaar), founding chair of Fashion Rocks (the rock and fashion extravaganza for The Princes' Trust), and managing director of Condé Nast U.K. serves him well in this aptly titled and leisurely paced novel of upper-class British society. Anthony Anscombe, scion of a London banking family and heir to Winchford Priory and the village it dominates, might seem a cad to those who know him only through the gossip columns. Instead, he is a kind, unassuming man, "genetically predisposed to be forever polite," who slowly gets sucked into a maelstrom created by his several wives, their offspring, and other hangers-on. Married in his teens (the year is 1965) to flighty Amanda just days after chasing her down in France, he begins his first "death-defying rollercoaster ride" and fathers (or so he thinks for most of his life) his first child. Other wives, a mistress, and numerous children follow, leading to a kaleidoscope of engaging complications. Finely detailed, psychologically astute, and boasting a beautifully rendered cast of characters, this magnificent novel offers an intriguing insider's view of the lives of the gentry. Highly recommended for all public libraries.—Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

This debut novel, translated from the French, involves an unusual class of ninth graders at the Academy at Tours-Orléans. When their history teacher jumps to his death from their classroom window, young French teacher Pierre Hoffman takes over the class. Hoffman immediately senses a strange aura, as the pupils are abnormally well behaved and devoid of any feelings. After a series of disturbing events, Hoffman begins to suspect that two class leaders have a strange power over the other pupils. His suspicion is brutally confirmed during a class trip when the students hijack a bus. Despite the tragic ending, the reader feels little empathy for any of Dufossé's static characters. The action is sporadic, and Hoffman's philosophical speculations, like the belabored plot, are pointless and banal. Not recommended.—David A. Beronä, Plymouth State Univ., NH

Ganek's debut novel centers on Mia McMurray, a receptionist in a New York art gallery. Mia's cranky Brit boss, Simon, has discovered artist Jeffrey Finelli, who attends the opening of his first show only to be killed in a traffic accident later that night. His death strongly affects Mia, who secretly dreams of becoming a painter; Simon, who wants a bigger role in the art world; and Finelli's niece, who never met the artist but was the subject of his masterpiece, Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him. Mia detachedly observes the glamorous and gossipy world of art collecting, often purposefully distancing herself to avoid ridicule of her aspirations. Her lack of involvement occasionally slows the book's pace, but this is a minor quibble, as she is a generally thoughtful observer. She is also a kind, believable, and enjoyable character as she befriends Lulu, discovers her creative talents and limitations, and attempts to avoid romantic involvement with the often shallow men from the art world. The setting and style may appeal to readers of Alison Pace. Recommended.—Lisa Davis-Craig, Canton P.L., MI

While her two previous novels (e.g., Field Guide) featured adventuring women, Gross's new work stays closer to home. The story is told in alternate voices. Stay-at-home mom Thea lives with husband Caius in the house where she grew up. New next-door neighbor Amanda and husband Aaron never expected to find themselves in the suburbs, much less New Jersey, but with their first child on the way they're putting down roots. While Thea spends her days shuttling her school-age children to extracurricular events and trying to keep two-year-old Iris out of trouble, Amanda is planning to return to her publishing job as soon as possible after her daughter's birth. Soon after Malena is born, a tree crashes through her parents' house, and Caius offers the family shelter. This proximity both jumpstarts friendships and propels the neighbors from each other like the north ends of a magnet. Most of the novel stays within the heads of the two women, as they reexamine their own approaches to motherhood while feeling both superior to (and envious of) the choice the other has made. The ending, seemingly awkwardly tagged on, takes place on 9/11. Suddenly, two women who hated each other passionately are making up and hugging in a melodramatic moment that doesn't seem real. For public libraries.—Debbie Bogenschutz, Cincinnati State Technical & Community Coll.

Midlife is tough enough without moving back to your hometown to care for your mother, who is succumbing to dementia. Having taken a leave from her London teaching position, Kate Flynn is now in Cardiff, Wales, living with mom Billie in Firenze, their now dilapidated ancestral villa. She reconnects with best friend Carol and, ultimately, with David, Carol's younger brother. David's first wife, Francesca, committed suicide years earlier. Left with his young son, Jamie, David eventually married Suzie and had two more children. But Suzie is suddenly acting strangely, and David is bewildered by his now 17-year-old son. David runs into Kate at a concert, and their mutual interest in classical music seems like an omen to him. Discovering that Kate knew his mother, Jamie also gravitates toward Firenze and lands in an affair in that rarely used bedroom. Unfortunately, Kate is the least sympathetic character in this latest from Hadley (Everything Will Be All Right). She is gruff with poor Billie (always has been, really), dismissive yet needy of Jamie's attentions, and unable to acknowledge David's feelings. Despite generally fine writing, this novel suffers from this major flaw; an optional purchase for large fiction collections.—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal

It would be hard to imagine a more cheerless setting for a novel than a leper colony on a remote Greek island, but the community of Spinalonga provides a remarkable backdrop for this affecting, multigenerational saga. At the outset of World War II, when she exhibits the first signs of leprosy, Eleni Petrakis is exiled to Spinalonga, an island off the coast of Crete. Leaving behind her husband and young daughters, Eleni believes her life is over. But the sun-soaked island, with its brightly painted houses and lively, well-run community, turns out to be a comfortable and humane refuge. Life is less kind to the family she had to forsake. While Maria remains a caring daughter to her single parent, sister Anna never recovers from the abandonment and grows into a cold and deceitful woman. In a cruel twist of fate, it is Maria who also falls prey to the disease on the eve of her wedding and who is sentenced to spend her own days on Spinalonga. Bookended by the present-day journey into her past by Anna's grown daughter, this debut novel is a deeply pleasurable read.—Barbara Love, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Kingston, Ont.

In Hosp's third legal thriller (after Dark Harbor and The Betrayed), attorney Scott Finn has been contacted by a junior lawyer at his old law firm to take on some pro bono work in the case of El Salvadoran illegal immigrant Vincente Salazar, who was sent to prison for shooting a police officer 15 years ago. The case is being revisited on the basis of DNA evidence that was never mentioned at the original trial and may prove Salazar's innocence. Although Finn agrees to represent Salazar in a hearing to get the DNA evidence examined, he isn't convinced of the man's innocence—until the junior lawyer on the case is carved up with a machete and left for dead. To prove Salazar's innocence, Finn must find out why he was set up in the first place, which puts him at odds with both the Boston Police Department and a vicious South American gang. A riveting book that is hard to put down and will keep you hooked until the very end; recommended. [This book was inspired by Hosp's own experience as an attorney working with the New England Innocence Project.—Ed.]—Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg

Kopperud (The Time of Light), a seasoned Norwegian war-correspondent/novelist who has also studied philosophy, examines the troubled ethnic and religious differences that have recently plagued Indonesia. The result is a bleak and chilling tale of troubled alliances and casual brutality. The plot is straightforward. Francisco is looking for his daughter, last seen while backpacking in the Spice Islands. With two Scandinavian journalists, he is shipwrecked on the island where Christian and Muslim militias are destroying each other and villagers live with daily expectations of death. Francisco's acquaintance with Indonesia's president makes him a pawn in a game between the Christian police chief and the Muslim army colonel. At the same time, the journalists, making a film about a village that was flooded by a reservoir, cynically begin to twist their story to greater effect. A powerful examination of the West's inability to understand what motivates age-old conflicts and a demonstration of how dangerous well-meaning but ignorant intervention can be, this stark novel could be taking place in Lombok, Aceh, or East Timor. For all literary collections.—Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS

In 1971, high school senior Joe Anderson moves to Minnesota with his widowed mother. Joe is a wonderful young man who plays hockey and piano, works in the local grocery, and is nice to his mother. So what's his flaw? He is attracted to Kristi Casey, the wildly fun cheerleader who is every boy's fantasy and who introduces Joe to oral sex, marijuana, and acid trips. As Joe moves through life from high school to adulthood and marriage, Kristi is always there to tempt him, even when she becomes an evangelist. Landvik is a wonderful storyteller, and Joe is an attractive character, perhaps too good to be true. However, some of the book club readers and fans who enjoyed Landvik's other novels (e.g., Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons) may be uncomfortable with the sex and drugs and Kristi's hypocritical life as an evangelist and the wife of a politician. As long as librarians understand that this new work is more explicit than Landvik's previous novels, this is recommended for most public libraries.—Lesa M. Holstine, Glendale P.L., AZ

Some stories are so compelling that they're retold numerous times and refashioned in numerous different ways in an attempt to keep the human element alive. It's been 60 years since the initial publication of The Diary of Anne Frank, yet internationally acclaimed author and translator Lourie (The Autobiography of Joseph Stalin) manages to bring a new perspective to Anne's story. The novel opens in present-day Amsterdam with an elderly man known as Joop having just confessed a childhood secret he has kept for more than 60 years—a secret that involves Anne Frank. Joop recounts the ugly German takeover of Amsterdam, what it did to his family, and the choices he made to survive. Readers will be surprised at how well the author humanizes the non-Jewish residents of Amsterdam and what they endured while at the same time refusing to diminish the ugliness of what some of them did. Though slim, this novel speaks volumes and is destined to be a best seller and a book club favorite. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/07; library marketing campaign planned.—Ed.]—Marika Zemke, Commerce Twp. Community Lib., MI

Poet, essayist, and educator O'Donnell's first novel dives into the fantastically interesting world of professional mourners. The book centers on a young girl named Mem, a crying-savant revered for her ability to wail during funerals. O'Donnell interrogates this 6000-year-old pay-for-tears tradition, along the way crafting historical "proof"—poems, letters, legal documents—of the secret, all-female community that perpetuates this illegal trade. Unfortunately, the text is a tease, failing to satisfy our deepest curiosity about the Wailers' invented culture. For example, Mem's conversations with her mother are peppered with Yiddish words. But are the Wailers descended from Jews? Or are they progeny of the Marranos, Jews forced by 15th-century Spain and Portugal to convert to Christianity? Or neither? While O'Donnell writes that the hidden nature of the community makes full understanding impossible, this leaves readers in a quandary, intrigued but ultimately annoyed, that Mem and her people are so unknowable. Recommended for large collections only.—Eleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, NY

Curmudgeonly classical Greek scholar Leland Pelfey, who despises all things contemporary and regrets the passage of "the pre-post-modern world, obsolete these seventy years," finds himself in an eerie "anti-world" that is "no afterworld, no, but rather the same planet he had known." He resumes the quest to find his deceased wife and his struggles against the forces of cultural mediocrity, begun in Lee and The New Austerities. Lee joins a seemingly endless hegira with a ragtag band of egoists but is so arrogant that he even rejects the friendship of a Latin scholar, considering the Romans second-rate despoilers of the Greek legacy. Lee is so prickly, uncompromising, and thoroughly unlikable that his constant frustrations, travails, and hardships are a source of guilty pleasure. He makes some very good points about contemporary society but in a way that alienates potential allies in both the living world and the "anti-world." Perdue's books may become cult classics but are unlikely to be of general interest. Recommended for larger academic and public libraries only. [Lee will be rereleased in paperback simultaneously with Fields of Asphodel.—Ed.]—Jim Dwyer, California State Univ., Chico

In Venice's crumbling waterways, the Ospedale della Pietà is a foundling orphanage that takes in all children, be they from noble families or homeless. In 1709, Anna Maria dal Violin is the star of the coro, the Pietà's musical ensemble of voices and musicians, which is the jewel of Venice. Her violin master is none other than "Red Priest" Antonio Vivaldi. And while Anna plays with the skill and emotion that makes her a star, her willful independence keeps her status low within the walls of the orphanage as she tries to balance finding the truth, becoming a woman, and being allowed to play the music so much a part of her soul. Quick, who has written for newspapers like the New York Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, finely details the different aspects and classes of Venetian society, especially delving into the lives of the women of the Pietà. The rich tapestry of Venice unfolds before us so that we can take in all the decadence and excitement of La Serenissima in its last great era. Recommended for all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/07.]—Anna M. Nelson, Collier Cty. P.L., Naples, FL

Schulman tackles difficult subjects in her novels (e.g., Shimmer), and her latest is certainly no exception. Stew, a gay 15-year-old boy, meets 32-year-old David on the Internet and begins a sexual relationship with him. It's one of the few refuges in Stew's unhappy life, but the affair is discovered and David jailed for pedophilia. Enter Eva and Hockey, lawyers hired to defend David—each with huge personal issues of her or his own. Ultimately, the loss of the one positive relationship in his life sets Stew on a meltdown course, with tragic results. Schulman has written a thought-provoking story on a controversial subject, but unfortunately the characters are so unlikable that it's difficult to root for any of them. To her credit, Schulman forces the reader to question common societal assumptions, and the legal twist at the climax of the story is especially inspiring. Some graphic sexual language is included. Best suited for comprehensive gay and lesbian collections.—Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland Lib., OR

Seiffert's enigmatic new work opens with two terse memories, swiftly recounted and just as swiftly left behind until the reader finally discovers how they fit into the story. Raised by a single mother in her grandparents' home in England, Alice meets Joseph at a friend's birthday celebration, and they quickly become involved. Joseph even volunteers to do some construction work for David, Alice's crusty and taciturn grandfather, now widowed, who met and married his wife while doing army service in Kenya. As the reader slowly learns, Joseph himself has served in Northern Ireland, and he remains resolutely haunted by events that took place there. But Alice isn't privy to these secrets, and Joseph's reluctance to unfurl his past drives them apart, even as David seems ready to unburden himself of his own sorry tale. The award-winning Seiffert (The Dark Room) allows this story to unfold in brief, bright, elliptical stabs of narrative that effectively drive the story forward. At first, one chafes for events to bound ahead and allow the veterans to pour out their secrets; eventually, it's refreshing to discover that Seiffert doesn't fall for easy catharsis, reminding us that sometimes sorrow can never be resolved. For all literary collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/07.]—Barbara Hoffert, Library Journal

Miranda Donnal, wise beyond her years, lives on remote Crab Island with her brilliant but troubled scholar father, who is translating Ovid's Metamorphoses. She has almost no friends except Mr. Blackwell, who shows her how to fish and pilot his boat. Although authorities from the mainland believe that her father is endangering her education, by typing her father's handwritten translations Miranda in fact makes all the magical stories and myths part of her life. Miranda imagines her passage in their boat from the mainland to the island to be Phaëthon's ride in his father's chariot. In time, her father arranges for her to work at the Institute for Classical Studies in New York, where she is inevitably drawn deeper into her father's mysterious past. At the same time, she finds a whole new world in the glamour of Manhattan, and she pictures herself as Galatea, the statue who turns to flesh in her creator's hands, undergoing her own change after leaving the island. First-time novelist Sweeney has written an amazingly rich and complex coming-of-age novel. Highly recommended for all public libraries.—Donna Bettencourt, Mesa Cty. P.L., Grand Junction, CO

Set just after the end of the Vietnam War, this engrossing coming-of-age story features the young daughter of a Vietnam vet and a World War II Japanese adoptee, both of whom are dealing with personal demons that are tearing apart the family. Helen Johnson and her younger brother are sent to live with their father's brother Steve and his wife when it is decided that their mother needs some time to come to terms with her problems. Here they first experience love and the comfort of a real family. Here, also, Helen gets the idea to write to her mother's uncle Hideo in Japan, hoping to find out something from him that may help her mother get better. While both surprised and nervous about the unexpected letter, Hideo invites Helen and Steve to visit him in Japan and learn about the grandmother she never knew and why her mother was sent to America. Taniguchi's poetic descriptions and the touching interplay of the various members of this extended family make this a wonderful book. Likely to appeal to a wide variety of readers, this is highly recommended for all public libraries.—Leann Restaino, Girard, OH

Now in their late thirties, five college friends discover that past history can't maintain their bonhomie, especially when their views and values strongly diverge. Nan is a delivery nurse in the local nonprofit hospital, whose husband and 16-year-old daughter from a teenage pregnancy tread on her efforts to keep the peace. Psychologist-turned-building manager Jean is now divorced, her husband having left when it became clear that she couldn't conceive. College lecturer/writer Virginia is separated from her husband, with whom she shares custody of their eight-year-old son. PR staffer Tasi, single and childless, is having an affair with a married colleague. And overly dependent Charlotte faces a late-term abortion when she finally admits that her husband doesn't want kids. Each woman takes center stage in alternating chapters that converge without necessarily overlapping. Trueblood (The Sperm Donor's Daughter) draws blood as these friends confront the disappointment of their own choices as well as those of one another. Graphic in its depiction of obstetrical complications, this book presents a beautifully drawn yet harsh portrait of love in its varied permutations and how finding happiness really is a matter of chance. Highly recommended for literary fiction collections.—Bette-Lee Fox, Library Journal

After a foray into more contemporary fiction, Tsukiyama (Dreaming Water) returns to the historical fiction genre and brings to life another sumptuously written work. Set in Japan and spanning over 25 years (1939–66), the novel unravels the hardships and triumphs of two brothers raised by their loving maternal grandparents following the loss of their parents in a tragic accident. The dreams of older brother Hiroshi of becoming a sumotori (a sumo wrestler) and younger brother Kenji of becoming a Noh theater mask artisan are quelled by the onset of World War II. Passages describing the devastation wrought by the atomic bombings upon their lives and of those close to them, particularly the family of sisters Haru and Aki, who later becomes Hiroshi's wife, are well written and emotionally gripping. Taking readers on an emotional roller-coaster ride, Tsukiyama deftly illustrates the meaning of resilience without shying away from life's lows as limbs are mangled, children are lost, and characters die either in accidents or by their own hand. As in her other novels, Tsukiyama proves to be adept at capturing sensory detail, whether she's creating the world of sumo or of Noh mask making. Essential for Asian American fiction collections in public and academic libraries [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/07].—Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., Santa Ana, CA

This novel is a literary murder mystery/coming of age tale/writer's memoir/love story that, perhaps understandably, struggles under the weight of its ambitions. The narrator of the novel is a successful fiction writer looking back on a traumatic event from his youth that has become seminal to his life and writing. This event is a murder and suicide: his best friend's father—a steady, solid, suburban dad—shot and killed an old acquaintance, a popular state senator, and then returned home and took his own life. Both young men are baffled and disturbed by this violence, and the novel examines the lingering damage it causes. Watson (Montana 1948) is at his best exploring the grief and confusion these events create for the two teen-age friends. Watson is less effective, however, as he moves past this event to the love story and the passages that link this event to the fictional narrator's literary work. The interior life of his characters becomes less convincing, and the exploration of how personal experience is transformed into art is, unfortunately, not fully realized. Not recommended.—Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., CT

In these interconnected stories, set in a Catholic suburb of the Indian city of Mumbai, Jones depicts the triumphs and pitfalls of the Almeida family with astounding grace and beauty. Some of these pieces are filled with irrepressible sadness, as in the title story, "What You Call Winter," in which a son sees the ghost of his father bicycling around town. Roddy, an older man, feels his world closing around him as new construction goes up—even the "Talkies" close—as he prepares to visit his grandchildren in the States. Younger characters often find themselves navigating between two worlds—America and India—as in "Half the Story" or "Home for a Short Time." The most poignant stories, however, are the ones in which the younger generation discover they have no language to reach an older generation. For instance, in "The Crow and the Monkey," six-year-old Jude cannot make his mother understand how important a bonfire is to him. In short, this powerful debut collection is not to be missed by most public and academic libraries.—Chantal Walvoord, Plano P.L. Syst., TX

One of the greatest playwrights of America's 20th century leaves a posthumous gift of short stories filled with some kind of longing—for love lost, inspiration, sexual satisfaction, illusions, or the ability even to have them anymore. Out of the six stories that this collection comprises, standouts include the coming-of-age "Bulldog," in which a teenage boy finds more than he bargains for when he enters a woman's apartment to purchase an advertised puppy; "The Performance," the chilling story of a Jewish dancer's encounter with Hitler in pre-World War II Germany; and "The Bare Manuscript," about a dried-up writer who finds an unusual way to revive his muse. These subtle, elegantly written, and thoughtful stories, all of which have appeared in major publications, such as The New Yorker and Harper's, are highly recommended.—Jyna Scheeren, Troy PL, NY

A world-weary private investigator, the underground sex trade, and deadly men lurking in darkened bars give this layered, hard boiled work a Fifties pulp novel feel. However, cell phones, credit cards, and searching stored emails for clues set it in the present. Carrying the burden of guilt over a woman's death, John Blake turned his back on his private detective job three years ago. Flawed and brooding, he is marking time as an administrative assistant in Columbia University's writing department when a gorgeous student is found dead in a bathtub. The coed, an acquaintance of Blake's and an apparent suicide, led a secret life as a massage call girl. Noble yet naive, Blake digs into the cyberworld of the pay-for-sex trade, and he does not find a pretty picture. Determined to uncover the truth, he disrupts the business's cash flow, and bodies begin to pile up. Ironic phrases and wry dialog combined with an ending that leaves readers mouthing "wow!" make this essential reading for public libraries, especially where noir crime fiction is popular. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 3/1/07; Aleas is the pen name of Hard Case Crime publisher Charles Ardai.—Ed.].—Rollie Welch, Cleveland P.L.

It's been much too long since Wolley Shelley's last appearance. But now she's back, and her newest adventure is just as entertaining as her first two (Dating Dead Men; Dating Is Murder). Having participated in a dating experiment, Wolley, a part-time greeting-card designer, is now considered a "dating expert" and even has her own segment on a popular television show. Life is good until Wolley's ex-boyfriend, famous writer/director/producer David Zetrakis, is murdered, and her best friend, Joey, becomes the prime suspect. But who really killed David? Wolley knows that Joey would never do such a thing; besides, several people have benefited from David's death. Despite objections from her hunky live-in love, FBI Agent Simon Alexander, Wolley is bound and determined to find out who pulled the trigger. Quirky characters with witty dialog and snappy comebacks make the writing sparkle. Libraries of all sizes will want this hilarious, rapidly paced romp for their mystery and chick-lit collections. Kozak, winner of the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards, is also an accomplished actress (Parenthood).—Shelley Mosley, Glendale Community Coll. Lib. Media Ctr., AZ

When an innocent man is accused of killing his long-missing ex-girlfriend, P.I. and ex-cop Jack Till steps forward to find the now-presumed-dead Wendy Harper. Till is the logical choice to search for Wendy, as he's the man who helped her disappear six years earlier to escape from someone who had wanted her dead. His job is to track Wendy down before she's found by a couple of killers hired by the same person who had tried to murder her the first time. Although the pace is almost leisurely, there's plenty of action and the characters are nicely developed, including the hired killers. It's this character development, along with realistic dialog, that make Perry's latest better than most suspense novels. No matter how much happens or how quickly events unfold, it's ultimately Till and Harper who carry this novel, and the reader will be all the much happier for that. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 3/1/07.]—Craig Shufelt, Fort McMurray P.L., Alta.

Ismay and Heather live with and care for their mother, who has been mentally unbalanced since finding her children's stepfather drowned in the bathtub. Ismay has always believed that her sister killed him, thinking that Heather was protecting her from his unwanted attentions. Keeping the dark secret seems to have tainted every area of their lives, as Ismay is emotionally unable to confront Heather and find out the truth about their stepfather's death. Indeed, the incident has lent its dark influence to every one of the main characters' relationships and life decisions. Three-time Edgar Award winner Rendell (End in Tears) has written another engaging psychological suspense story in the style of her popular 2002 novel, Adam and Eve and Pinch Me. The characters resolve their problems in some rather improbable ways, making the ending less satisfying than in many of Rendell's previous works, but still, a highly entertaining read. Recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/15/07.]—Linda Oliver, MLIS, Colorado Springs

New York's Upper East Side can be a great place to live for twentysomething singles—unless you meet that certain someone who turns out to be a psychotic stalker. Starr's (Lights Out) latest is a departure from his previous novels in several ways. First, it features a female heroine, Katie Porter, who has moved to the city to make a life for herself away from the Massachusetts suburbs and her inattentive parents. Her search for Mr. Right is complicated by the appearance of Peter Wells, a familiar face from her former small-town life. Peter's sudden interest is a relief to Katie, but his attentions soon turn her life upside down. The story also represents a change for Starr in terms of style and genre. Where his early novels were straight-ahead noir-crime, this is more of a character-driven thriller, exploring the relationships between men and women in a world of urban disillusionment. Luckily, Starr's trademark dark humor and sharp dialog remain in force. Recommended for most fiction collections [See Prepub Mystery, LJ 4/1/07.]—Ken Bolton, Cornell Univ. Lib., Ithaca, NY