Fiction

This debut novel is based loosely on the author's experiences. Lila, the teenage daughter of divorced parents from Ghana, lives in London with her mother until she is sent to an all-girls' boarding school in Ghana. Gradually, Lila adjusts to that country's harsh environment while struggling to fit in and make friends. The book's title derives from the girls' practice of powdering their necks to demonstrate they were lucky or wealthy enough to have parents send them extra water for bathing. Six years pass before Lila returns to London, but she is immediately sent to live with her father and his new family in the United States in another emotional and physical upheaval for the young woman. Ultimately, Lila begins to come to terms with being part of a blended family that spans both continents and cultures. VERDICT With its strong character development, this work presents a fresh and diverse alternative to the standard coming-of-age story. The author's insightful depiction of Lila's plight and appealing international point of view could whet the appetite of the YA audience. Recommended for readers who enjoyed Edwidge Danticat's Breath, Eyes, Memory or Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus.—Faye A. Chadwell, Oregon State Univ. Lib., Corvallis

Teenager Haley McWaid doesn't come home one night, and when months go by without a word her parents assume the worst. Reporter Wendy Tynes conducts a sexual predator sting, working with the local police to capture men on camera and later televising the footage. Her latest suspect is community social worker Dan Mercer, and those who know him can't believe he's guilty. Tynes begins to question her instincts, but she carries on with her investigation, which reveals a shocking link between Mercer and the missing Haley, with aftershocks that will destroy a community. VERDICT Coben is in top form exposing the dark underside of modern suburbia. The story will chill readers, especially parents of teenagers. Complex and intricate, this is his best book since Promise Me. Don't escape, get Caught. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/09.]—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

World and family politics at the end of the Cold War provide the backdrop of Gilmore's second novel (after Golden Country). When their oldest child, Ben, leaves for college, Dennis and Sharon Goldstein—onetime young idealists who became a bureaucrat and a society caterer, respectively—begin to discover their family's secrets. Not only is Sharon having an affair but daughter Vanessa is anorexic. Indeed, it's soon evident that the family secrets transcend generations. The story is told in chapters from the point of view of each family member, detailing Dennis's travel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and recollections of when his children were young, Sharon's extramarital affair and her relationship with Vanessa, Ben's college experimentation and activism, and Vanessa's high school relationships and eating disorder. VERDICT Readers nostalgic for the early 1980s in America will find evocative references to pop culture, music, and the politics of the time. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/09.]—Amy Ford, St. Mary's Cty. Lib., Lexington Park, MD

In this debut novel, Margaret is a writer leading a solitary existence, with only her dog as companion. One day, when she goes out for a walk, her house burns down with her dog inside. Margaret thus begins to reflect on death in all of its permutations, even as she finishes up the last writing she will ever do. This reverie continues in surrealistic, daydreaming fashion throughout Gluth's slim novel, which relates other tales of loss. High school student Beth, who is writing about Margaret, falls for Peter, whose band mate commits suicide; later, when Beth and Peter are a couple, a young neighbor who aspires to be a photographer dies in an accident. VERDICT There is not much plot in this evocative, emotional work, and it is not needed. In short, impressionistic sentences that soon become hypnotic, Gluth captures the atmosphere brilliantly and leaves the reader in awe of his ability. Readers looking for something different will appreciate this work—and, given his writing style, might wish that he also applied his talents to poetry in the future.—Lisa Rohrbaugh, National Coll., Youngstown, OH

Indiana Jones meets The Da Vinci Code in this fast-paced thriller by the Spanish author of the successful God's Spy. After extricating a map hidden decades ago in a candle by a Nazi war criminal, Fr. Anthony Fowler—an agent of both the CIA and the Holy Alliance—joins an archaeological dig called the Moses Expedition. Financed by the eccentric agoraphobic Raymond Kayn, this expedition aims to unearth the Arc of the Covenant. Soon, we learn that a key member of the expeditionary team is an Islamic terrorist whose fellow terrorists intend to abort the mission. The plot is full of ironic twists, including the identity of the turncoat and the reason for Kayn's obsession with the mission. To create tension, Gómez-Jurado digs into a panoply of cinematographic devices. The characters are assaulted by sandstorms, scorpions, and vicious red ants, to name a few, and just when the reader thinks the author has exhausted all possibilities, he conjures up something equally startling. Readers familiar with God's Spy will delight in the reappearance of Father Fowler and Andrea, two of only a handful of survivors of that book's debacle. VERDICT A well-written thriller with an exciting plot and well-drawn characters. For thriller fans, what's not to like?—Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC Lib., Dublin, OH

History has depicted Catherine de Medici (1519–89), wife of one king and mother of three, as a grotesque monster, poisoning and murdering to gain and maintain control over the French throne. After the death of Henri II, she began the struggle of her life—keeping one son after the other on the throne through the religious wars that threatened to tear France apart. In this meticulously researched novel, Gortner (The Last Queen) gives us a Catherine who is passionate yet sometimes naive. Most of her decisions following her husband's death are made to keep peace in France or safeguard her children. Yet she is still held responsible for the 1572 St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, in which thousands of French Protestants were slaughtered. VERDICT While the Catherine depicted here is in some ways similar to Jeanne Kalodigris's protagonist in The Devil's Queen, Gortner breathes more life into his queen. Historical fiction fans will appreciate the vivid details of Renaissance France. [Library marketing.]—Pamela O'Sullivan, Coll. of Brockport Lib., SUNY

Gruber (The Book of Air and Shadows) has established an enviable reputation as a writer who both challenges readers' minds and stirs up their blood. His latest high-stakes thriller—good from start to finish—will enhance this reputation. In Pakistan, a band of jihadists kidnaps nine members of an international peace symposium; among those captured is psychologist Sonia Laghari, who has a long, complicated involvement in Pakistan and the rest of the Muslim world. She uses Jungian insights and her faith to build fragile bridges to the jihadists, trying to persuade them to confront their violent choices. Meanwhile, her soldier son races to save her. He plots with well-placed relatives in Pakistan to trick the Americans into sending in troops, while a hotshot analyst with the NSA tries to convince her superiors they're being hoaxed. The three narratives converge in an unexpected and satisfying climax. VERDICT There are many surprises in this excellent thriller, including its ability to inform. It should appeal broadly to lovers of spy stories and action novels in general. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/10.]—David Keymer, Modesto, CA

Like her best-selling The Knitting Circle, Hood's new novel features the themes of loss and reconnection. After the death of her infant daughter in an accident, Maya Lange opens an adoption agency that places Chinese babies with American parents. Six couples waiting to adopt share the lengthy process and eventually create a bond, although they were previously strangers. Meanwhile, Maya is forced to confront her feelings about her child's death and her former husband so that she can heal and learn to fall in love again. The stories of the adopting parents are intertwined with those of the Chinese women who, for various reasons, had to give up their baby girls. The tone here is somber, but in the end these parents are transformed by the healing journeys they have made. VERDICT Hood offers a thoughtful novel about the yearning for a child that's primed to be a book club pick. Readers who enjoyed Hood's last novel or are fans of writers like Jacqueline Mitchard will enjoy this as well. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/10.]—Amy Ford, St. Mary's Cty. Lib., Lexington Park, MD

More akin to Jack London's The Call of the Wild than sentimental boy-and-his-dog stories, this work by the award-winning author of five previous novels published in Australia (as Eva Sallis) is based on a news story about a Russian boy who lived for several years among a pack of dogs. In a post-perestroika Moscow, an abandoned boy follows a dog out of the brutal human world and into that of the pack. He is accepted as one of them, cared for, and in turn relied upon as they struggle for survival through two bitterly cold winters. As his interest in humans grows, so does the danger that comes with human contact. Children raised by wild animals have long fascinated readers, perhaps because they blur the line between human and animal, and this novel examines with compassion and understanding the significance of family, belonging, and the painful sacrifices they sometimes require. VERDICT This intense and moving exploration of what it means to be human and what it means to be animal will appeal to most readers.—Gwen Vredevoogd, Marymount Univ., Arlington, VA

At 55, Kevin Quinn is the kind of excessively worried man who makes women of a certain age grind their teeth. He is so averse to relationship commitment that he secretly flies from Ann Arbor, MI, to Austin, TX, for a job interview while his (sort of) live-in (sort of) girlfriend is out of town on business. Solipsistic to a fault, he rigidly judges any female he runs into by her physical attributes, no matter how casual the encounter. His one-day visit to Austin does not go well. Battling the crippling heat, he finds himself stalking the beautiful (of course) young woman who sat next to him on the plane, until he is injured in an encounter with a dog on a leash. A beautiful (of course) thoracic surgeon briefly comes to his rescue. Throughout all these misadventures, Kevin replays several intimate scenarios with past lovers. Hynes (The Lecturer's Tale) has an ability to evoke sounds, smells, and contempt that lures his readers to a place they don't see coming. VERDICT Fans of Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge will embrace Hynes's distasteful albeit oddly likable protagonist, and the shock value of the ending will cause considerable buzz. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/09.]—Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI

While Eve Duncan (first introduced in the more procedural Face of Deception) is present for parts of this thriller, the action focuses on her adopted daughter, Jane Maguire, and the psychopathic men determined to kill her. The why has something vaguely to do with a painting that Jane created from a dream image that connects to a prophecy and a cult that dates back to the time of Christ. In the meantime, Jane must struggle to stay one step ahead of the killers with the help of two strong but silent assassins—one who works for the CIA, the other who has some sort of extra ability to boil a person's blood from the inside out. VERDICT Johansen's latest is more than a little over the top with the villainous villains and secret sacrifices—think The Da Vinci Code crossed with an Anne Stuart romantic suspense novel, and you'll have a sense of the plot and tone. Not that that will be a bad thing for all readers. Fans of Stuart's amoral heroes and those who still follow Johansen will probably pick this one up. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 12/09; 500,000-copy first printing.]—Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI

A teenage girl runs away from herself. A mother runs away from her past. A cosmetic surgeon runs away from her need for intimacy. A transgendered woman runs away from society. Their paths cross ever so briefly in this taut novel of image and identity. Set in Southern California and navigating the gap between scenes of beauty and scenes of desolation, the story poses many questions. Is anatomy destiny? Is identity fixed or fluid? Does one's past predict one's future? Kirkwood's unsettling debut novel is tightly woven, with each passage revealing just a few threads. By the end, the characters each find what they were searching for, but the questions remain. VERDICT Published by Arktoi Books, which features works by lesbian authors, this brief, intense look at issues of personal identity may appeal to readers of literary fiction, especially within the GLBT community.—Susanne Wells, P.L. of Cincinnati & Hamilton Cty., Cincinnati

A graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop, Jack Hercules Sheahan is now a media escort. His first success, a short story published in The New Yorker, was followed by—nothing. Jack never managed to leave Iowa. He never completed his first novel. Now, 12 years later, between bouts of heavy drinking, Jack literally loses a client, abandons another, reconnects with his ex-fiancé, takes in a former client as a houseguest, gets arrested, has his unfinished novel stolen, and starts a memoir. In the chaos, he undergoes an epiphany and changes his life. Or does he? McNally, a novelist and short story writer, has lived a parallel life, so he knows whereof he speaks. His characters are eccentric, their actions erratic, and the results both funny and sad. VERDICT This satirical work will appeal to anyone who can empathize with the struggle to reroute a dead-end situation and those who like pseudomemoirs.—Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Libs., Providence

Lead singer of the French band Dionysos, Malzieu approaches writing more like a film director than an author, as his first novel to be translated into English shows. Malzieu uses vivid metaphors and fantastical inventions to craft a beautifully written tale of love, both maternal and romantic. Saved from death with a grafted clock for a heart, little Jack is warned by his adopted mother never to fall in love lest his fragile clock-heart break. Despite this parental warning, Jack becomes entranced with a young dancer. His emotions stir him to violence, forcing him to flee his home and to embark upon a journey to find the object of his affection. Along the way he meets a range of characters from Jack the Ripper to Georges Melies, the first cinematographic director. VERDICT The prose style is simple and fluid, and the setting is not unlike a Tim Burton film—dreamy, dark, and magical—so it's no surprise that this novel is being adapted into an animated film. For fans of magical realism and fairy tales.—Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH

Columbia University literature professor Joy Harkness finds herself making a surprising transition to a new life in the wilds of western Massachusetts at Amherst College. She somewhat unwillingly sheds a solitary existence for a community, a city apartment for a ramshackle Victorian renovation, and a staid teaching job for a potentially groundbreaking pedagogical project. While all of the pieces are in place for a good story, the ironically named protagonist remains pretentiously stiff and distant, especially from the reader, for the novel's first half, and those familiar with academic life will find that the reading rings false. Late in the book, Joy's relationships with those around her coalesce, and she begins to find her bearings, but she may have lost the reader along the way. VERDICT Caught up in descriptions of design and architecture while trying too hard to hit the academic tone, this debut novel by the wife of best-selling novelist Frank Delaney never quite finds its stride. It might appeal to curious Delaney fans and readers who enjoy fiction set in academia.—Julie Kane, Sweet Briar Coll. Lib., VA

What begins as simply a way to pass some time while husband Max is out of the country soon turns into something altogether different for Odile, a French clothing designer, in this tour de force of a novel set in the 1990s. Contracted to more or less smuggle some Soviet-era flags out of Russia, Odile is successful in her mission until Thierry Colin, her companion, disappears as they are about to cross the border back to the West. Then, shortly after returning, her Paris apartment is ransacked—with nothing apparently stolen. Meanwhile, Max, an American art house filmmaker in the midst of an aesthetic crisis, discovers that one of his films is being sold on DVD with an altered ending and sets about trying to discover who's responsible. Their differing dilemmas lead in the same direction—toward the Russian mafia. VERDICT A taut and lively literary thriller that mingles the worlds of Paris and New York art collectors and filmmakers with a seamy and violent criminal underworld as it explores the nature of art, fate, and inevitability. Recommended.—Lawrence Rungren, Merrimack Valley Lib. Consortium, North Andover, MA

What is the recipe for an awesome artifact thriller? Take an important relic (preferably biblical), a megalomaniac with unlimited funds and plans for world domination, a handsome and masterful hero, and a beautiful scholar. Sprinkle liberally with painful pasts, opportunities for redemption, and burgeoning romance. Here, Morrison, a Ph.D. in industrial engineering, sends us on an action-packed adventure with Drs. Tyler Locke and Dilara Kenner as they fend off assassins, save the world from a madman, and find Noah's Ark. Accept the general premise, and both the action and the archaeology seem totally plausible. Technically, this is Morrison's first novel; however, he already has fans, having self-published this book through Amazon's Kindle program, where it ranked first in sales for its genre. VERDICT If you have ever watched any show about Noah's Ark and for a moment wished the ark were really there to be found, then this work is for you. A bonus: Locke is a kind, smart, consummate action hero. Let's hope he's in the sequel.—Laura A.B. Cifelli, Fort Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., FL

Late in the Civil War, 17-year-old Morgan Kinneson from northern Vermont gets deeply involved with his family's participation in the Underground Railroad when the slave he's leading toward Canada is murdered. Overwhelmed by remorse (he had wandered away to hunt a moose), he sets off on an odyssey in search of his older brother, Pilgrim, who was reported missing from the Union army. With the slave's murderers on his trail and carrying a mysterious stone he found in the murdered man's pockets, Morgan meets up with a wild variety of characters as his path leads him toward the Great Smokey Mountains. VERDICT A colorful re-creation of the era and a likable and engaging protagonist recommend this book to lovers of classically told adventure tales.—Ann H. Fisher, Radford P.L.

Uruguayan writer Juan Maria Brausen interprets his name as three words mechanically strung together by his father so that the trivialities he has inherited would be repeated after him. Brausen's wife, Gertrudis, has undergone a mastectomy, and although he misses making love to her, he is incapable of empathy regarding her new condition. In fact, the sight of her scar so repulses him that he begins to flit between reality and fantasy. Through paper-thin walls, he eavesdrops on his neighbors' sexual trysts, mentally inserting himself in their world and imagining a new character, an enema-giving Dr. Diaz Grey, in the make-believe town of Santa Maria. Scenes are re-created endlessly in the hopes of getting them just right for the film script Brausen is destined never to finish. VERDICT Although plot-centered readers may become impatient with Onetti's pre-Boom classic, others will delight in its variations and nuances, its wisdom and analyses, and its flavors reminiscent of Faulkner and savor it as an early harbinger (1950) of Latin American magic realism.—Jack Shreve, Allegany Coll. of Maryland, Cumberland

Former bar owner Joe Carver has come to L.A. with a new identity and lots of cash only to find that thugs hired by low-level mobster Manco Kapak are out to get him. Carver has been mistakenly fingered as the person behind the armed robbery of Kapak's night deposit, a hefty sum used in part to launder drug profits, only the first of many hits the gangster will absorb from a masked gunman. Failing to clear his name, Carver counterattacks. Along the way, readers meet bigamist detective Nick Slosser, who is juggling the demands of two families and trying to capture the increasingly brazen robber while investigating Kapak for a drug lord's murder. As these and other colorful characters spiral around each other with gripping intensity and one startling twist after the other, the question is: Who's going down, and who's getting away? VERDICT Featuring rich, complex characters, Perry's 18th novel (after Runner) is pure, unadulterated fun, sure to please not only the many fans of this master craftsman but also lovers of imaginative, character-driven thrillers à la Elmore Leonard. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/10.]—Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, a 19th-century French Romantic poet and actress whose contemporaries included Hugo, Balzac, and Georges Sand, was a sensation in her time. This fictionalized biography begins in midlife when, married to a younger man, handsome stage actor Prosper Valmore, she commences an obsessive liaison with the homely, imperious Henri de Latouche, a man of letters who helps advance her literary career. Desbordes-Valmore's interior reminiscences, written in the period's overheated style, are a bit hard to relate to, but fascinating flashbacks to the poet's childhood enlighten us as to her character. The young Desbordes-Valmore traveled to the Caribbean and back; as a rising star in the French theater, she supported her family, ruined financially during the Revolution. At the same time, buffeted by the vicissitudes of fame, she conducted affairs and lost illegitimate children to disease. VERDICT As Desbordes-Valmore gains public acclaim as a writer and pursues political and charitable interests, she emerges here as a modern, liberated woman. This work, a 2005 award winner in France, brings French history and letters to life. With selected poems.—Reba Leiding, James Madison Univ. Libs., Harrisonburg, VA

This powerful bildungsroman, rendered with exquisite lyricism from multiple viewpoints, lightly circles about protagonist Kwasi Edward Michael Dankoh, aka Eddie Signwriter, before focusing on his experiences. Living in Ghana, teenage Eddie is in love with Celeste, but a scandal forces him to flee first to Senegal and then, illegally, to Paris. Full of tantalizing questions that are answered in due course, this novel succeeds on many levels. Superficially, it is a love story, but it is also a story of the abuse of innocence and the attendant consequences for young lives. On another level it is a mystery, solved after dark secrets are revealed. It's also a story about the perils of undocumented African workers in France. At the root, however, this work ingeniously illustrates the purpose of art, showing its function and value beyond mere decoration. As Eddie Signwriter paints, he incorporates the struggles of his life into his work. Engaging characters and evocative descriptions make this novel truly unforgettable. VERDICT Subtle, captivating, and beautiful, this outstanding novel is recommended for fans of multifaceted writing, as well as those interested in African life. It's Stuart O'Nan's Last Night at the Lobster meets Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Half of a Yellow Sun.—Henry Bankhead, Los Gatos P.L., CA

Sharpe's (As Good As It Got) latest novel attempts to follow the literary examples set by Kate Jacobs and Debbie Macomber by employing the theory that knitting can solve every woman's problems. Megan has a husband who is distant, an unpleasant live-in mother-in-law, children who don't appreciate her, financial problems, and a nagging unhappiness that there is much more to life. One day, Megan rents a small garage apartment to the outgoing Elizabeth, who may shake things up. Knitting does play a part in the tale as past and present generations meld together with love over painstakingly knitted shawls. But it seems more like a literary gimmick to tie the flashback scenes and present-day chapters together. VERDICT Both knitters and readers looking for good women's fiction will be disappointed. There is just not enough knitting here for a knitting-themed book and not enough angst or original, well-drawn characters for a woman's-issue sort of novel.—Margaret Hanes, Civic Ctr. Lib., Warren, MI

Based on the infamous 1612 Lancashire witch trials, Sharratt's (The Vanishing Point) latest novel vividly portrays the religious turmoil and hardscrabble life of 17th-century rural England. It's a familiar premise: an old beggar woman accused of witchcraft is sentenced to hang, along with others of her ilk. What makes this story stand out are the strong voices of the two main characters, stalwart Bess Southerns (aka Demdike) and her feisty granddaughter Alizon Device. Demdike is a cunning woman, able to heal animals and people with herbal folk magic. She strives to do only good, but when she teaches her dear friend the craft, she releases a Pandora's box of resentment, revenge, and evil. Years later, Alizon comes into the power herself but denies it, and this leads to tragedy. VERDICT While not a quick read, this is a fascinating tale. The story unfolds without melodrama and is therefore all the more powerful. Recommended for fans of Katherine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane.—Jamie Kallio, Thomas Ford Memorial Lib., Western Springs, IL

Claire Kessler's husband of fewer than two years commits suicide on Valentine's Day. How can she not take that personally? In this debut novel (after her story collection, The Red Passport), Shonk writes about Claire's first weeks following the suicide. After the funeral, Claire, suddenly a widow, moves into her pregnant sister's carriage house along with her late husband's traumatized cat. As flowers arrive, friends leave phone messages and food, and Claire's family rallies around her, each in his or her own way, Claire starts to process difficult truths about her husband's depression and their relationship. VERDICT In Claire Kessler, Shonk has managed to create a wonderfully realistic character and a story poignant and witty rather than melancholy and dark. Recommended for readers who enjoy women's literature with themes of love and loss by authors such as Anne Tyler, Anne Patchett, and Anita Shreve.—Shaunna Hunter, Hampden-Sydney Coll., VA

In 1905 Missouri, quiet 27-year-old Margaret Mayfield marries Capt. Andrew Jackson Jefferson Early, a naval officer and an astronomer who is considered a genius and a little odd. By the time they make their way by train to their new life in California, the reader understands that Captain Early is actually somewhat crazy in his obsessions. This is a conclusion that Margaret herself is slow to draw, even as their lives together grow more troubled. Smiley (Ten Days in the Hills) reminds us how difficult it was for all but the boldest women to extract themselves from suffocating life situations 100 years ago. While dealing with intimate matters, this novel also has an epic sweep, moving from Missouri in the 1880s to the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, up to the Japanese internment camps of World War II, with the scenes from Margaret's Missouri childhood reminiscent of Willa Cather. VERDICT Not a highly dramatic page-turner but rather a subtle and thoughtful portrayal of a quiet woman's inner strength, this may especially appeal to readers who have enjoyed Marilynne Robinson's recent Gilead and Home. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 1/09.]—Leslie Patterson, Brown Univ. Lib., Providence, RI

Bram Stoker and Anthony Award nominee and Thriller Award winner Sokoloff presents another dark and ominous tale (her fourth novel after The Unseen, The Price, and The Harrowing). Boston homicide detective Adam Garrett and his partner investigate the gruesome murder of a prominent female college student, Erin Carmody, and receive unexpected assistance from Tanith Cabarrus, a beautiful and mysterious witch from Salem. Garrett is torn between his burning attraction to Tannith and his reluctance to trust a clairvoyant. VERDICT Even though her plot is not particularly original, Sokoloff successfully melds a classic murder-mystery/whodunit with supernatural occult undertones. Note that the gore and language best suit this book for an adult audience.—Carolann Lee Curry, Mercer Univ. Medical Lib., Macon, GA

This sequel to Steinhauer's memorable The Tourist presents an espionage tale as puzzling as any a spy fiction might require. An abundance of characters peppers emotionally troubled ex-superspy Milo Weaver's return to the field to perform a horrifying job he does not want to do for people he distrusts. The reader is suspended over a chasm of ambiguity as to who in which agency has been assigned by whom to do what to whom. As with all excellent spy stories, this one reveals betrayal by professional liars at every level. Tourists, hypersecret operatives of the CIA, appear to be the target of a mole, or perhaps there is no mole, only a loose lip somewhere high among American politicos. Working in Europe and the United States, anguished Milo unravels a skein of knotted plots, amoral officials, and subplots disguising an ingenious, unexpected, and terrible revenge.VERDICT While not quite as focused as The Tourist—at times too many important characters and multiple plots threaten to overwhelm the reader—this is still an extraordinarily complex and compelling thriller. [Library marketing.]—Jonathan Pearce, California State Univ.-Stanislaus, Stockton, CA

When aging, popular musician Richie Rossiter dies suddenly, he leaves behind two families: his London family of 23 years—Chrissie and three almost-adult daughters—and his seemingly forgotten first family from the fishing town where he grew up and began his career. Richie's will singles out the wife he never divorced, Margaret, and their adult son, Scott, with surprise bequests, shocking Chrissie and her daughters. The author deftly sketches out, through shifting viewpoints, how family members and former family members regain a sense of purpose after their initial grief. But the family rifts here never seem in danger of becoming real ruptures; everything is wrapped up tidily and inoffensively. VERDICT A best-selling author in England, Trollope (yes, a descendant of Anthony Trollope) also has many U.S. fans, and they will be waiting for this book. Though not the author's best, this is elegantly written domestic fiction—well worth reading for its snappy dialog and head-on tackling of a modern, middle-class family's dilemma.—Laurie A. Cavanaugh, Brockton P.L., MA

Becca Burke was eight years old the first time lightning struck her down. Her dad didn't believe it, and her mom was drunk. Buckley Pitank's life, on the other hand, was finally looking up when his mom's head was opened by a lightning bolt out of a clear blue sky. Unknown to each other, Becca and Buckley spend the next 20-some years coming to grips with the aftermath of these incidents. Lonely, disaffected, and estranged from family, they each live out their lives along two separate story lines, taking readers from North Carolina, to the shores of Texas, to the art world of New York City, before they inevitably cross paths through the clever conceit of the handbook in the title. Each character in this startlingly mature debut novel, from Becca's self-absorbed father and self-destructive mother to Buckley's evangelical stepdad, is complicated, nuanced, and sympathetic. Young-Stone's writing style is crystal clear and shot through with lightning-like flashes of description so vivid that readers might think that they are watching a movie. VERDICT It's not often that this reviewer regrets a book's ending, but that's what happened here. The sense of melancholy, tempered by the resilience and heart of the characters, makes this ripe for Oprah or fans of Elizabeth Berg or Anne Tyler. The author's web site says she has another novel in the hopper. Two thumbs up.—Sally Bissell, Lee Cty. Lib. Syst. Fort Myers, FL

In this collection, named for the Basque village of Obaba, acclaimed novelist/poet Atxaga (The Accordionist's Son) presents stories of his neighbors at home and in their travels. (Atxaga translated this work from Basque to Spanish, while Costa translated from Spanish to English.) The major part of the collection deals with a literary gathering at the home of the "uncle from Montevideo," who hosts friends monthly for a bout of drinking and storytelling. The stories themselves are presented here, with the activities of the participants seen in alternate chapters. One of the storytellers theorizes that "a story amounts to nothing more than a simple arithmetical operation. Not an operation involving numbers, of course, but one based on the addition and subtraction of elements such as love, hate, hope, desire, honor, and other such things." What's added here is usually time and reflection, as many of the stories go back to childhood, as viewed through wiser and more experienced eyes. VERDICT The reader whose adventures come mainly through the printed page will welcome this collection, set mostly in Basque Spain, though there are occasional forays into other locales such as Germany and the Amazon. Recommended for short story and world literature readers.—Debbie Bogenshutz, Johnnie Mae Berry Lib., Cincinatti, OH

Anyone who has ever been an outcast will recognize himself or herself in these short stories by Yanique (creative writing & Caribbean literature, Drew Univ.), which center mostly on the island of St. Thomas. The heartache of each character is vivid, but what is a real triumph here is the simple, eloquent prose, which doesn't work too hard to achieve its purpose. While the title story is the best, others are still excellent, and they all describe people who are struggling between two worlds—not just the case of being marginalized by race, culture, or religion but the simple feeling of always being an outsider. Yanique portrays this position well, over and over, throughout the book. VERDICT A beautiful and insightful read, this will be of interest not only to academic libraries but also to all drawn to the best contemporary American and Caribbean fiction.—Shalini Miskelly, Highline Community Coll. Lib., Des Moines, WA