Fiction

Allen's (Hoochie Mama; Churchboys & Other Sinners) new novel poignantly depicts the life of P, a likable guy who drives a school bus and lives with his wife and four sons in a pleasant house; a guy with brains but no discipline. He lives to gamble, and he is barred from casinos when the IRS catches up with him for not paying his taxes. This doesn't stop P, who disguises himself and continues visiting the casinos. He eventually loses his wife, job, and home. He neglects his sons, and the eldest is killed in a drive-by shooting after joining a gang. At this point, P goes to Las Vegas, and his luck changes: he strikes it rich. He puts millions in the bank, gives money to various girlfriends, joins Gamblers Anonymous, and begins doing charity work. This pacifies P's itch to gamble for a time, but he can't overcome it, and the story ends in tragedy. Told without preaching or moralizing, the facts of P's life express volumes on the destructive power of gambling. This is strongly recommended and deserves a wide audience; an excellent choice for book discussion groups.—Lisa Rohrbaugh, East Palestine Memorial P.L., OH

Barker returns to the World War I setting of her award-winning Regeneration trilogy (Regeneration; The Eye in the Door; and The Ghost Road). It's the spring of 1914, and Paul Tarrant, a working-class lad from the North of England, is enrolled at London's Slade School of Art. He's attracted to a fellow student, the beautiful and self-contained Elinor Brooke, who has also drawn the romantic attentions of Kit Neville, a recent Slade graduate and rising star on the art scene. Instead of pursuing Elinor, Paul embarks on an affair with Teresa, an artist's model with an abusive, jealous husband. When war breaks out, Paul and Kit volunteer for the Belgian Red Cross, while Elinor remains in London to focus on her painting. Although Barker aims to make a profound statement about the role of art in a time of war, her book sadly lacks the devastating power and beauty of the Regeneration trilogy. Thinly drawn characters appear and disappear for no apparent reason; there are few scenes about the actual process of making art, an odd omission; and Barker half-heartedly throws in psychological suspense that goes nowhere. All in all, a muddle. Buy only for larger fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/07.]—Wilda Williams, Library Journal

This reader was overcome with happiness after tearing open the package to reveal a most coveted item, a new novel by Browne. Having thoroughly enjoyed The Little Lady Agency and Little Lady, Big Apple, this reviewer had reason to believe this final installment might be the best yet. The title promises a prince somewhere in the story, and chances are good he is handsome! Melissa Romney-Jones and her charmingly dysfunctional family and friends are back in full force with plenty on the agenda. Melissa needs to sort out moving to Paris with fiancé Jonathon, find child-care help for new mum Emery, and stop playboy prince Nicolas of Hollenberg from acting scandalously, while running her Little Lady Agency and maintaining her special friendship with flatmate Nelson. Reading Browne's books is like watching a Doris Day romantic comedy. They are above reproach, never getting too silly or too preachy but still able to imply a sly wink acknowledging the joke that flies over Melissa's head. From start to finish, this tale is a joy to read. Highly recommended for popular fiction collections.—Stacey Hayman, Rocky River P.L., OH

Cline (What To Keep) takes on the nature of friendship, female identity, betrayal, and love, when young dreamer Annabeth Jensen is drawn to Hollywood after film school. She has some initial success working with a well-known film editor who is finishing up his career and moving back to Amsterdam. Then, Annabeth runs into Laura Katz, a hot young director, at a party; Laura, who has a project in the works, is in the process of hiring. Along with trying to find a job, Annabeth is getting used to living with her boyfriend, David, who's a huge music buff and has recently been hired on at KCRW to do a late-night show. Annabeth and Laura begin work on the film Trouble Doll, but Laura is consumed with becoming a hit in Hollywood, which inevitably leads to a crisis in the burgeoning friendship. The story is a familiar one, and no new territory is covered; other than Annabeth, the characters are a bit two-dimensional, and this makes it difficult to work up much sympathy for them. Recommended only if there is interest.—Robin Nesbitt, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., OH

DeBerry and Grant, Essence best-selling coauthors and self-described best friends for 25 years, have written a sequel to Tryin' To Sleep in the Bed You Made (1997), picking up the story of best friends Patricia Reid and Gayle Saunders ten years later. Financially successful and running a company together, Pat and Gayle now struggle with personal issues they're ashamed to tell each other. Goal-oriented Pat realizes she and busy husband Marcus are living parallel lives; she's toying with the idea of an affair. Secretly binging and purging to relieve anxiety, Gayle worries most about her headstrong teenage daughter, Vanessa. The novel's main characters are African American, but universal issues of family, self, pride, and shame—rather than race—are the focus. Frequent references to events of the first book will refresh readers' memories and catch up newcomers. With no graphic sex scenes or swearing, this tale about girlfriends going through tough times will likely appeal most to women aged 30 and over. Recommended for women's fiction collections, especially where Pearl Cleage is popular.—Laurie A. Cavanaugh, Brockton P.L., MA

After Leigh Wren's ex-husband, Randy, is convicted and sentenced to death for killing a dozen people in a ten-year spree, she relocates to a new town, changes her name, and lives an uneventful six years as a single mom to the couple's young son, Hayden. But when the vengeful father of one of Randy's victims locates her and publicly reveals her secrets, her picture-perfect life is shattered, her world, turned upside down. As Leigh struggles to keep their comfortable life intact, a copycat killer mimicking Randy's bizarre murders strikes too close to home. Newcomer Floyd has crafted a powerhouse thriller that plunges the reader into the intimate life of a serial killer as viewed from his wife's vantage point. Nail-biting flashbacks into Leigh's past with her dangerous husband and frightful glimpses into the psyche of a new killer keep the tension mounting. This is a book that grabs you and won't let go; highly recommended for all public libraries.—Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Freud (Hideous Kinky; Peerless Flats) introduces 17-year-old Lara, who, on the eve of the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, is invited by her father on an Italian vacation to visit the villa of his old friend. Raised by her Buddhist hippie mother, Lara had only infrequent contact with her emotionally remote father, and the invitation comes as a thrill. The Tuscan villa and its neighboring estates are worlds removed from Lara's shabby existence in England. First love finds her in the person of Kip, the son and heir of the neighboring villa, Ceccemoro. As the summer progresses, she is enveloped by his large extended family and soon becomes aware of the many sexual undercurrents around her. Lara gets swept up in these dramas as well as in the failing health of her hostess and the exciting preparations for the Palio, the centuries-old horse race that caps Siena's summer. A burnished glow suffuses this lovely novel about adult awakening. Enthusiastically recommended for public libraries.—Barbara Love, Kingston Frontenac P.L., Ont.

Welcome to Camp Ascend! Situated just downstream from an EPA-condemned site (markers with skulls take the guesswork out of finding the place), this wilderness camp is just the pricey ticket for that rowdy youngster who has already been booted out of every other place. The staff includes Col. E. Raymond Kellogg (a title not used on any official documents or, more important, payment checks); his wife, Kitty, who in lucid moments can see to her campers' pharmaceutical needs; and her hard-pressed brother Donovan, who is in charge of the camp's day-to-day operations and serves as morale booster. Into this morass enter the six boys and three girls who, whatever they may have done in previous lives, clearly don't deserve this. Chief among them is the feisty but endearing 14-year-old Loren, who is a Special Forces wannabe. The outcome of the face-off between the "Colonel" and Loren is never in doubt, but this first novel by magazine editor Garigliano is as bracing as that first plunge into the pool at summer camp. For all larger public libraries.—Bob Lunn, Kansas City P.L., MO

The authors, Hollywood kids themselves (Goldberg is the daughter of television producer Leonard Goldberg; Hopper's father is actor Dennis Hopper), have written a fun first novel starring Lola Santisi, a Hollywood princess who needs a purpose. On the night of the Academy Awards, Lola's emotionally isolated director father wins his second Oscar, but Lola is not having such a good evening. Actually, her whole life has gone wrong—from her widely panned turn as actress to her inability to resist narcissistic actors. Flash back to days before the Academy Awards, and Lola is determined to finally succeed. She's working for her BGF (best gay friend), a budding designer who needs stars modeling his dresses on the red carpet. Lola's last chance for a recruit is an almost psychotic Oscar nominee who refers to herself in the third person. But can Lola win the star over her arch nemesis, who's working for Prada? Tolerance for Hollywood excess, including Lola's own family and friends, is necessary to enjoy this book. It can even be difficult to empathize with Lola, whose worst day includes a free facial and designer clothes. But People magazine devotees should enjoy the fast pace, famous names, and designer everything. For popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/07.]—Lisa Davis-Craig, Canton P.L., MI

Xavier Radek of Basel, Switzerland, is the son of lapsed Jews, with a grandfather on his mom's side said to have been in the SS. As a teenager, Xavier vows to become the "comforter of the Jews"—a tall order because they already had Israel, "Einstein and Billy Wilder." He befriends and becomes the lifelong lover of Awromele Michalowitz, son of a pseudorabbi. Xavier endures a horribly botched circumcision as part of his conversion. Then he and Awromele set out to translate Mein Kampf into Yiddish and embark on a series of mishaps and adventures that take them to Amsterdam and, eventually, Israel. There Xavier enters politics and rises to become ha-Radek, Israel's leader, while Awromele sticks with Xavier but has constant affairs on the side because his mother taught him Jews should not say no (go figure). Often funny, often touching, often unbelievable, this phantasmagoria, idiomatically translated by Garrett, is for all readers who enjoy an offbeat, slightly madcap tale.—Edward Cone, New York

Eva Frank is a young Jewish girl living in 1860s Berlin who has an illicit affair, and the ensuing consequences are devastating. Driven by guilt over the affair, Eva feels compelled to marry and soon finds herself wedded to Abraham, a man whose dream is to move to the American Southwest. Living and adjusting to married life in America brings with it a multitude of problems, most of which are made worse by Abraham being what we now think of as a compulsive gambler and womanizer. Does Eva deserve this abuse as punishment for her past mistakes? It's only when Eva slowly starts to realize that she can't make up for earlier choices that she begins to live a full life. Hershon's third novel (after Swimming and The Outside of August) opens a window into the world of immigrant Jewish women who bravely faced the harsh reality of frontier life. The author researched a variety of historical documents, which lends authenticity and depth to the book. Recommended for all public libraries.—Marika Zemke, Commerce Twp. Community Lib., MI

On the heels of the successful Gods in Alabama and Between, Georgia—both #1 BookSense picks—Jackson again reinvents the GRITS (Girls Raised in the South) novel. Quilt artist Laurel, her game programmer husband, David, and their 13-year-old daughter, Shelby, lead a seemingly charmed life in a serene Florida suburb. But when the ghost of a drowned girl awakens Laurel, the veneer of that life seems ready to crack beyond repair. Can Laurel trust her flamboyant, outspoken sister, Thalia, to help as old family secrets emerge with dizzying speed? With the appearance of a ghost on the first page, you'll feel compelled to race to the end, but slow down for Jackson's great descriptions—you'll be rewarded for the effort. Jackson illuminates not just the complexities of family love as a source of safety and support but also the complexities of danger and death. The life-affirming epilog provides satisfying closure; libraries will want to own all three novels. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/07.]—Rebecca Kelm, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights

Johnson's novel introduces the small Southern city of Revere, MS, during the civil rights era. Most whites are outraged that the federal government plans to integrate the public schools, and some are campaigning to use public funds to construct segregated private academies. Blacks, meanwhile, want the resources integration promises but fear violent retribution if efforts succeed. At the heart of the story are two physicians, African American Reese Jackson and Caucasian Cooper Connelly. Unfortunately, both are stereotypes. Worse, other characters are clichés, from a reformed prostitute with a heart of gold to a materialistic Southern belle who marries Connelly. Sophisticated readers will likely find this—and the cheery ending—cloying. Nonetheless, the book might be of interest to teenage readers and their instructors because it provides a simplified history of the 1960s, zeroing in on the race and class hatred that divided communities throughout the South. In addition, it assesses violence as a tactic and asks if its use is ever justified, a theme that will have resonance in classrooms.—Eleanor J. Bader, Brooklyn, NY

Jones's first novel takes place over the course of a hot summer day on a cattle farm somewhere in rural Wales. From a simple plot—Gareth, a farmer, searches for a missing calving cow—a series of interactions and accidents emerges to shape the lives of the farmer's family, his neighbors, and the domestic animals and wildlife coexisting in this landscape steeped in history. As in William Faulkner's most moving work, Jones seemingly surveys the whole of existence by describing the humblest details of life on this postage-stamp of unnamed Welsh soil: the sound of machinery in the distance, the flight of damselflies, digging a grave in hard ground. The relentless heat and drought express the thirsts—literal, emotional, and spiritual—that oppress this landscape and its inhabitants. In this wounded place, tragedy is persistent and immanent. Jones suggests, however, that redemption, fulfillment, and peace, though infrequent as a summer rain, are as inevitable as the sunrise. Winner of the 2007 Betty Trask Award, this is a powerful and highly recommended debut.—J.G. Matthews, Washington State Univ., Pullman

This vision of life in upstate New York after the fall of civilization is poignant and personal compared with the main themes in other recent postapocalyptic novels—e.g., bare-knuckles survival in Cormac McCarthy's The Road, charismatic leadership in David Lozell Martin's Our American King, desperate migration in Jim Crace's The Pesthouse. Kunstler instead presents a detailed, granular perspective on the consequences that the breakdown of the government and the economy would have on everyday domestic living. He offers a real look at how people and communities would actually survive without the modern economic infrastructure upon which we rely. This novel does illustrate the violence of a lawless future, but it does so in a way that seems plausible, while maintaining some sense of hope. There is also a little mystery thrown in to sweeten the pot. This future is not completely dire, but it's grim enough to make us seriously consider how we would get by in a world made by hand. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/07.]—Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos P.L., CA

In order to limit Hezbollah's attacks on Israeli settlements, Israel maintained a security force in southern Lebanon for close to 20 years. Leshem's searing, award-winning first novel chronicles the lives of the last group of Israeli soldiers to man the outpost at Beaufort, a crusader-castle ruin of questionable military significance. Written as the diary of Liraz "Erez" Liberti, the hotheaded twentysomething leader of a 13-man commando unit stationed in an outpost prior to the Israeli withdrawal in 2000, the novel brings to life the situation of very young men on a dangerous mission. This is a picture of war from a soldier's point of view. Its language is crude, the body count rises, and yet the tenderness of the bonds among the men is extraordinary. As they begin to have doubts about their mission and their government begins to seem cynical about the situation in southern Lebanon, the novel also becomes an indictment of war irrevocably altering the futures of idealistic young men. Leshem brings these issues to life. An important novel, recommended for all collections. [The award-winning film adaptation of the novel was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival and will debut in U.S. theaters this year; see Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/07.]—Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS

Religion and science clash in the middle of the New Mexico desert in Preston's latest page-turner. A gigantic supercollider designed to study the beginning of the big bang is christened Isabella by the scientists who built her. The initial experiments exceed all of their expectations. Meanwhile, a charismatic televangelist accuses the people responsible for Isabella of challenging God and Genesis. To find out what is really going on, the federal government sends in Wyman Ford (last seen in Tyrannosaur Canyon) to uncover the truth from the secretive scientists. Naturally, one of the researchers is someone with whom Ford had a volatile relationship years earlier. Preston balances the fine line between fundamentalism and science with a sure hand and joins Michael Crichton as a master of suspenseful novels that tackle controversial issues in the realm of science. Highly recommended for all public libraries.—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

At age 52, Dickie Sinfield is a Salt Lake City—area journalist who has turned her back on the Utah desert ranch lands of her childhood. Her father is a bitter man she has long avoided. When Dickie's brother, Heber, dies from a mysterious poison-gas accident at the Army Dugway Proving Grounds, she returns to her father's ranch and climbs back into the saddle, rides horses, and reconnects with old friend Stumpy Nelson. Although Dickie and Stumpy were practically kissing cousins growing up, for decades they have been estranged. Once when they were children, Stumpy accidentally branded Dickie instead of a cow he was wrangling. Dickie's scars from childhood go even deeper, and much of the novel takes a measured look at the history behind her various wounds and blind spots. Richman's (Riding in the Shadows of Saints: A Woman's Story of Motorcycling the Mormon Trail) first novel will strike some readers as histrionic and others as emotionally astute. The Utah landscape, as much a part of the novel as its headstrong characters, absorbs it all. For regional fiction and larger literary collections.—Keddy Ann Outlaw, Harris Cty. P.L., Houston, TX

New York Times and Essence best-selling author Roby returns with her fifth entry (after Love & Lies) in the saga of the "good" Rev. Curtis Black. Here, the charismatic and strikingly handsome Curtis is not only a well-loved and respected clergyman, a husband, and a father but a world-renowned, best-selling author. Realizing he has too much to lose if he turns back to his old womanizing ways, he vows to "sin no more," but he soon recognizes this is easier said than done. Curtis's troubles begin when his ex-mistress threatens to break up his marriage if he doesn't spend more time with their newborn daughter, and then the interim pastor while Curtis was on his book tour threatens him with blackmail. Curtis and Charlotte built their marriage on lies and deceit and must now confront the repercussions of their past and fight to save their family, but human nature keeps nearly pulling them apart. Although this soap opera—like drama is painfully predictable, Roby's fans will not be disappointed. Recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/07.]—Carol Johnson, Cleveland P.L.

Broken into hundreds of snapshot sections with titles like "Wrong of Passage" and "How Things Disappear," Royal's fiction debut puts a failing marriage under the microscope. Evanston, IL, native Claire McCloud and her German husband are divorcing after 11 years together (nine of them bad). Claire, a never quite fully employed artist, is so devastated by the dissolution of her marriage that she cannot hold a job and so must take their children shopping for winter clothes at various lost and founds on Chicago's North Shore. The fragments of first-person narration begin with the moving van showing up to remove traces of Claire's oafish ex and jump around from Claire's childhood to her experiences as a young wife and mother to her being driven to bed by depression in the wake of her divorce. Claire's anger, bewilderment, and grief are affectingly described, but some readers may grow impatient with a woman who captivates every man she meets, is good at every artistic endeavor she attempts, and still allows herself and her children just barely to get by. Recommended for larger public libraries. [Reading group guide available at www.ReadingGroupGold.com.—Ed.]—Karen Kleckner, Deerfield P.L., IL

The third in a series of novels (after Cypress Grove and Cripple Creek) focusing on Turner—Vietnam veteran, former cop, ex-con, retired psychiatrist, and interim sheriff of a rural county south of Memphis—Sallis's story meanders through a summer and fall, chronicling Turner's professional and private lives as they merge into one. Turner's tranquillity is shattered when the son of his predecessor drives what might be a stolen car through the front of the city hall, seriously injuring himself and launching a case that escalates into breaking and entering, elder abuse, kidnapping, and murder. Meanwhile, Turner deals with the return of a friend who is wanted by the police in Texas and a less-than-welcome report from his physician. Sallis has created a laid-back, small-town setting in which understanding motives sometimes takes precedence over punishing crimes. Readers familiar with Sallis's earlier works will certainly want to read this one. Recommended.—Thomas L. Kilpatrick, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale

Inspired by real stories of the Japanese imperial family, Schwartz's (Reservation Road; Bicycle Days) intimate and striking novel fictionalizes the life of Haruko, empress of Japan, who narrates a touching and complicated tale of breaking traditions and facing the reality of living as royalty. Raised in an upper-class family, Haruko attends private school and plays tennis at the nearby country club. In 1959, she is selected as the first nonaristocratic woman to marry into the Japanese monarchy, which she discovers to be an oppressive world of mysterious rules and regulations. The strains caused by constant breaches in protocol and betrayals by the royal family and the staff cause Haruko to suffer a nervous breakdown and lose her voice. But she soon recovers with a new view of her duties and responsibilities. Thirty years later, Haruko is now the empress, and she faces the duty of marrying her son to a young woman who is a rising star in the foreign ministry. While she persuades the modern commoner to accept her son's proposal, Haruko also tries to right the wrongs of her past, with tragic results. With a strong narrative voice and well-researched historical background, this is strongly recommended for all fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/1/07; this may appeal to fans of Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha.—Ed.]—Ron Samul, New London, CT

Sewell's first novel is an unusual tale of suspense set in the Canadian subarctic. Early in his career, Dr. Dafydd Woodruff spent a year in the town of Moose Creek working with Sheila Hailey, a nurse who made no secret of her dislike for him. Thirteen years later, as Dafydd and his wife are struggling with infertility, he receives a bombshell of a letter from Sheila's daughter claiming he is her biological father. While Dafydd knows this is impossible, a DNA test seems to prove the matter beyond a doubt. Dafydd's life in Wales begins to collapse, and he returns to Moose Creek to investigate, finding that while some things have changed, others have remained the same, including Sheila's hatred toward him. While the plotline is compelling and readers will want to know how matters is resolved, none of the main characters is very sympathetic, and the ending is predictable. Recommended for public libraries with mystery/fiction collections because of the unusual premise and Sewell's descriptions of the Canadian Arctic. [Published in the United Kingdom in 2005, Ice Trap was short-listed for the Crime Writers' Association's New Blood Award and the Hay Festival Welsh Book of the Year.—Ed.]—Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnepeg

Screenwriter Renata comes from a true Southern family, complete with a formidable grand-dame grandmother. When Renata's actor boyfriend is written up in the tabloids for an alleged affair, she runs away to grandmother's estate in Point Clear, AL. Still mourning her mother's untimely death, Renata is looking for solace and rest. Unfortunately, life gets more dramatic as the days go on. At her father's engagement party, his new fiancée is found unconscious in a pool, and Renata is the prime suspect. She can't seem to contact her boyfriend to get the straight story from him. And she discovers that her parents led secret lives to which she was never privy, until now: Grandmother Honora and pals have decided it's time to let all of the skeletons out of the family closets. West (Crazy Ladies) has a knack for realistic and engaging characters. This charming tale will keep readers wanting to know more about the inhabitants of Point Clear. For all public libraries, particularly where women's fiction is popular. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 9/15/07.]—Rebecca Vnuk, Glen Ellyn P.L., IL

Barthelme's collection arrives like a wondrous jewel unearthed. The subtitle refers to the previously unpublished or uncollected short fiction this volume offers, making a full bibliography when combined with the other anthologies Sixty Stories (1981) and Forty Stories (1987). Barthelme remains a cult writer, in the most positive way. His experimental short stories left a huge mark on the modern fiction landscape, a tradition carried on by his heirs Padgett Powell and David Foster Wallace, among others. His work is like that of a melancholic genius, with utterly unique descriptions such as "But the lien officer had a head as clear as the decimal system, as clear as capitalism." Words like napery and sacerdotal are not uncommon. Some of the 45 pieces here are reprinted verbatim from their magazine sources; others are reworked extensively. As a whole, this is less satisfying than the other collections, but the title story (and at least ten others) remains wildly successful. Libraries already owning Barthelme's established canon may want to pick this up despite the hideous sartorial cover art.—Travis Fristoe, Alachua Cty. Lib. Dist., FL

Pattison has won numerous awards for his Inspector Shan series (e.g., the Edgar Award-winning The Skull Mantra), set in Tibet. Here, he breaks new ground on the American frontier in 1758. It is a time of high stakes for the French and English monarchs, with warring on every continent. And in North America the Hurons fight against the Mohawks (Iroquois) and the French against the English. No one is safe: death on the frontier is sudden and harsh. Into this world comes Duncan McCallum, chief of his Scottish clan by default, for only his brother and he survived the English depredations. Imprisoned for sheltering an aged relative, McCallum is deported to America. Aboard the ship he is pressed to examine an apparent suicide and uncovers evidence of murder, with more occurring after his arrival in the New World. In the process of identifying the killer, he meets the Iroquois and gains respect for them. The choice of McCallum as detective is a good one: there are many resonances between the life of this highland warrior and the ways of the Iroquois. Recommended for mystery and historical fiction collections.—David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Who knew that Charlotte Brontë, celebrated author of Jane Eyre, was once a spy for the Crown? Rowland's (the "San Ichiro" mystery series) new novel tells us about Miss Brontë's unwitting entry into the world of spies, subterfuge, kidnapping, murder, and even romance. Charlotte travels with her sister Anne to London in the summer of 1848, and on the train they meet a young woman named Isabel White, who is later murdered before Charlotte's eyes. As Charlotte is drawn into the mystery, she is determined to solve the woman's murder and bring her killer to justice. Rowland tells a thrilling story, but the details are too far-fetched to be believed. It is hard to picture Charlotte Brontë racing about Europe unchaperoned with a man who is young, handsome, and unrelated to her or to believe her minister father would allow her to impugn her reputation in such a manner. Recommended only where demand warrants.—Anna M. Nelson, Collier Cty. P.L., Naples, FL