Fiction Reviews, Sep 15, 2010
Sep 15, 2010Fiction
Bell, Ted. Warlord: An Alex Hawke Novel. Morrow. Nov. 2010. c.544p. ISBN 9780061859298. $27.99. F
Lord Alexander Hawke (Tsar), in the doldrums over the death of his pregnant fiancée, springs into action when Prince Charles calls to say the British Royal Family is in mortal danger. The enemy appears to be a serial-killing government insider responsible for the assassination of Lord Mountbatten three decades earlier, Lady Diana’s death in Paris, and numerous other disasters in England. Meanwhile, his team in the States, ex-Navy SEAL Stokely Jones and CIA field agent Harry Brock, combats a rising threat posed by the Sword of Allah, a unified Taliban, and al-Qaeda command, which aim to gain control of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal. In this dire situation, can Lord Hawke lock down those missiles? Can Stokes and Brock stop U.S. prisons from becoming madrassa hothouses? Can anyone save us from a worldwide caliphate and stop those “criminal-coddling nannies up in Washington”? VERDICT Bell’s sixth Alex Hawke thriller lacks political sophistication, adhering to the headlines in a way that seems preachy and uninspired. The multiple plotlines do not cohere, and the muted élan vital will disappoint some readers. Still, series fans and those who admire Glenn Beck may find the novel’s doomsday themes appealing. Readers who want a more accurate picture of Islamic terrorism should read Michael Gruber’s The Good Son. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/10.]—Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson
Burgess, Matt. Dogfight, A Love Story. Doubleday. Sept. 2010. c.304p. ISBN 9780385532983. $24.95. F
Nineteen-year-old Alfredo Batista, a small-time drug dealer in Queens, NY, has things on his mind. His girlfriend, Isabel, is pregnant, and his brother Jose (now known as Tariq) is being released from prison. People think Alfredo ratted out Tariq so he could steal Isabel, which is understandable, since Isabel had been Tariq’s girlfriend. How will the volatile Tariq react at his homecoming? Thinking he needs to offer his brother something, the bespectacled, neurotic, and brainy Alfredo (he’s a math whiz) first steals some ecstasy from a school yard dealer and then decides to put on a dogfight to entertain Tariq. First, he must find a dog and avoid the numerous and growing hazards of his situation. Gritty, funny, violent, and genuine, this is an impressive debut. Burgess’s energetic writing propels his characters through a momentous weekend in this original and complex story. Alfredo is a fresh and lovable voice, perfectly complemented by Isabel. Together they bring a sweetness to a hard tale. VERDICT Highly recommended for lovers of good writing and urban fiction. [The publisher is comparing Burgess to Junot Díaz and Jonathan Lethem.—Ed.]—Nancy Fontaine, Dartmouth Coll., Hanover, NH
Cheng, Ah. The King of Trees. New Directions, dist. by Norton. 2010. c.272p. tr. from Chinese by Bonnie S. McDougall. ISBN 9780811218665. pap. $15.95. F
First published in English in the UK in 1990 (as Three Kings: Three Stories from Today’s China), Cheng’s most popular work is finally available to American audiences. The book’s three novellas are all set during China’s Cultural Revolution and involve the group of students known as the educated youth (EY). The author focuses on the passions of each of the main characters, which makes them the “king.” In “King of Trees,” Knotty Xiao works with the EY to fell bad trees and replace them with healthy ones as a means of rebuilding the country. All goes well until he is ordered to fell the immense King of Trees, which is said to have become a spirit. In “King of Chess,” Wang Yisheng finds chess both his salvation and his downfall. In “King of Children” (adapted into a movie in 1989), an EY worker is called back from the countryside to teach. Finding that the children do not have any books, the King of Children uses alternate means to educate them, a rewarding but unsanctioned exercise. Not surprisingly, the stories result in tragedy or disappointment, but the touching relational aspects are atypical, and this makes the stories more appealing. Verdict Not for all readers, this work can be considered by admirers of Chinese fiction, especially works by Han Shaogong and Mo Yan.—Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P.L., CA
Dasgupta, Rana. Solo. Houghton Harcourt. Feb. 2011. c.352p. ISBN 9780547397085. $25. F
This new work by Dasgupta (Tokyo Cancelled) is two novels in one book. The first, Life, follows precocious Bulgarian chemist Ulrich, who cannot outrun his country’s decline and so must suffer with it; the second, Daydreams, shows us a “better” world imagined by Ulrich in which talented and ambitious youth—Khatuna and Boris, mainly—can escape the uncertainty of a post-Communist culture. Essentially, this work is a meditation on regret. In Life, Ulrich makes it to Germany but is forced home by his mother’s sorrowful letters. His talent is forgotten amid a landscape of factories. Then Daydreams clears the air. After reading the details of Ulrich’s devastating decline, we are perhaps more willing to forgive Khatuna’s tremendous violence and Boris’s waywardness if it leads to success (relatively speaking). And it does. VERDICT The sedimentary structure—layering stories of opportunity and oppression—makes Solo a double pleasure: readers can enjoy Dasgupta’s imagination but must also confront problems of celebrity and commerce. Part historical fiction, part heartbreak, part pop culture; think Aleksandar Hemon.—Stephen Morrow, Ohio Univ., Athens
De Lope, Manuel. The Wrong Blood: A Novel. Other. Sept. 2010. c.288p. tr. from Spanish by John Cullen. ISBN 9781590513095. pap. $14.95. F
A veteran Spanish novelist appears in English for the first time with the publication of this poetic exploration of women’s experience in war. Set in Basque country on the French-Spanish border, De Lope’s story flashes forward and backward but centers on a few tragic events during the Spanish civil war in the lives of two women: Isabel, a young military widow, and Maria Antonia, the daughter of a tavern owner. Many years later memories are awakened and secrets stirred when a young law student, Isabel’s grandson, arrives for a visit. A fourth character, a crippled doctor, may hold the secret that connects the others’ stories. VERDICT De Lope is a masterly writer, constructing a shadowy architecture to house his expansive prose, intertwining plotlines, and themes of misfortune, solitude, and memory. Highly evocative of time and place, this resonant work will linger in readers’ minds. Recommended.—Forest Turner, Suffolk Cty. House of Correction Lib., Boston
Dershowitz, Alan M. The Trials of Zion. Grand Central. Oct. 2010. c.352p. ISBN 9780446576734. $26.99. F
Abe Ringel, a Dershowitz-like lawyer/celebrity, returns (after Just Revenge) in this legal thriller set in Israel. A fictional Palestinian state is the site of a bombing that kills its newly elected leader, the U.S. President, and the Israeli prime minister. Ringel’s daughter Emma, a recent Yale law school grad, joins the team defending the suspected bomber, who wants to be convicted and die a martyr. Ringel is forced into the situation when Emma is kidnapped by the suspect’s brother, who threatens to kill Emma unless his brother is acquitted. There is also some subterfuge going on with Ringel’s wife, a former spy, and her friend, a former Secret Service agent. Dershowitz uses a forbidden romance between the Jewish Emma and her Palestinian boss as a teaching vehicle to shed light on the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. VERDICT One-dimensional characters and awkward dialog mar an engaging premise, but legal fans will enjoy learning about the differences between American and Israeli law. Fans of Richard North Patterson’s Exile might also like this.—Stacy Alesi, Palm Beach Cty. Lib. Syst., Boca Raton, FL
Drummond, Roberto. Hilda Hurricane. Univ. of Texas. Sept. 2010. c.280p. tr. from Portuguese by Peter Brown. ISBN 9780292721906. $50; pap. ISBN 9780292721913. $19.95. F
Drummond, arguably the most important writer from Minas Gerais, one of Brazil’s 26 states, is credited with introducing pop culture into Brazilian literature. This novel, his first translated into English, was wildly popular in his native country, especially after a successful 1998 television miniseries adaptation. Set against the political turmoil of the 1960s and laced with humor rooted in magic realism, it mixes the main characters—a priest, a playboy, the journalist narrator, and, of course, the eponymous enigmatic character—with real historical figures, especially those involved in the 1964 coup that ousted President João Goulart. The plot, when not diverted by numerous playful digressions, concerns the journalistic investigation by the thinly disguised author as narrator of the life of Hilda Hurricane, a prostitute of almost mythic dimensions who works out of a Belo Horizonte hotel, and of the attempts by well-meaning but ineffective citizens to eradicate the city’s red-light district. Verdict As part of the game the author is playing with the reader, the open ending appropriately fails to answer the novel’s two pressing questions: why did Hilda Hurricane move from dancing and sun bathing in a tennis club to prostitution in the Bohemian Zone, and is she a real character or just an April Fool’s joke? Drummond’s audience must decide.—Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC Lib., Dublin, OH
Erpenbeck, Jenny. Visitation. New Directions, dist. by Norton. Sept. 2010. c.192p. tr. from German by Susan Bernofsky. ISBN 9780811218351. pap. $14.95. F
This brief novel, the translation of a best seller in Germany, covers the sweep of the 20th century through the story of a small piece of land bordering a lake outside Berlin. The tale’s origins seem folkloric but begin only 100 years before, when one of the landowner’s daughters goes mad and wanders shoeless along the shore. An architect purchases the property and builds a unique home with intricate closets, a painted antique door, and stained-glass windows. The house next door is owned by a Jewish family; caught up in the nightmare of the Holocaust, some escape, some do not. The house survives invading Soviets, but the Communist takeover, the moribund economy that results, and ownership disputes that leave the house empty and unmaintained for years finally destroy it and the family connections it forged. Verdict In personalizing historical events, Erpenbeck (The Old Child & Other Stories) introduces themes reminiscent of some of W.G. Sebald’s novels, especially The Emigrants, but her detailed, dreamy descriptions are more poetry than prose, full of repetitions that evoke the polishing of fine handiwork. Highly recommended.—Reba Leiding, James Madison Univ. Libs., Harrisonburg, VA
Fletcher, Susan. Corrag. Norton. Nov. 2010. c.384p. ISBN 9780393080001. $24.95. F
In 1692, British soldiers massacred members of the MacDonald clan after having enjoyed the clan’s hospitality in its Scottish stronghold of Glencoe. This brutal episode in British history is related to Irish pamphleteer Charles Leslie by Corrag, an accused witch and healer who tried to save members of the clan. British author Fletcher (Eve Green; Oystercatchers) allows Corrag to tell her story in exquisite poetic detail. As she awaits execution, Corrag tells Leslie about her life as the daughter and granddaughter of women executed for witchcraft. Her descriptions of the natural beauty of the Highlands are hypnotic, whether she is describing a stag on a hill or spiders entangled in her hair. And while members of the MacDonald clan are not heroes—given their marauding ways—they are not villains either, only men trying to survive. Verdict This engrossing historical novel is essential for lovers of Scottish history. With its strong female protagonist, Fletcher’s latest work casts a spell that will linger over readers long after they have finished the book. Corrag’s story and that of the brutality suffered by women throughout the British Isles need to be retold in each generation.—Andrea Kempf, Johnson Cty. Community Coll. Lib., Overland Park, KS
Froderberg, Susan. Old Border Road. Little, Brown. Dec. 2010. c.304p. ISBN 9780316098779. $23.99. F
In this first novel, Katherine is still a teenager when she marries Son and moves with him into his parents’ adobe house in southern Arizona. The marriage quickly goes sour because of Son’s infidelity and irresponsibility. But Katherine grows close to her in-laws, who seem to parent her better than her own parents did, and with their help and that of a few other mentors, she finds her inner strength and begins the path to self-actualization. The details of ranch and rodeo life are atmospheric, but there is a vagueness to the narrative style that makes the story hard to engage with. Seemingly important information is glossed over, and occasional shifts into nonlinearity are confusing. Too often the prose is indirect to the point of incoherence, as in “I’m trying to find the true place I know to get the feelings right that I had had there once.” Verdict Expect some regional interest in Arizona, where the author lived for seven years; otherwise, not an essential purchase.—Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis
Geye, Peter. Safe from the Sea. Unbridled. Oct. 2010. c.256p. ISBN 9781609530082. $24.95. F
In this deeply moving, powerfully realized debut novel, an estranged father and son find reconciliation in the final week of the father’s life. Under the pressure of a terminal illness, the two finally speak honestly about their dreams, regrets, and choices. Setting his book almost entirely in the father’s ramshackle cabin near Duluth, MN, Geye tackles the subjects of death, dying, and living with admirable insight and courage. Olaf, the father, is a curmudgeonly, headstrong former ship’s captain who was one of three survivors from a massive coal freighter that sank on Lake Superior. Olaf lost many close friends and was haunted for the rest of his life by the memory of one friend he felt he could have saved. This event had catastrophic repercussions for his young family. VERDICT Geye engages the complexities of family dynamics skillfully and handles especially well the kind of family grudges and misunderstandings that can cripple relationships for decades, as they do here. Inspiring, wise, and enthusiastically recommended for all readers.—Patrick Sullivan, Manchester Community Coll., CT
Gibson, William. Zero History. Putnam. Sept. 2010. ISBN 9780399156823. $26.95. F
One of Gibson’s strongest offerings since the pioneering cyberpunk tales that first made his reputation, this near-future tale follows the continuing agendas of deliberately mysterious businessman Hubertus Bigend, who previously appeared in Pattern Recognition and Spook Country. But readers don’t need familiarity with the earlier works to appreciate this tale in which former rock star Hollis Henry must track down a secret brand of denim for Bigend while preserving her own and her friends’ integrity and safety. Hollis is a sympathetic heroine, competent, conflicted, and with a complex network of friendship and relationship histories that both complicate her life and make her a striking mature contrast to the alienated loners of Gibson’s early classics. It’s Milgrim, however, a man recently released from Bigend-sponsored rehab, who steals the show with his lack of preconceptions, journey to self-discovery, and connection to others. Only in the steampunk-esque hotel Cabinet and the Gabriel Hounds denim brand does Gibson indulge in a baroque charm that can endanger suspension of disbelief—no one starts a buzz-building secret to get away from fashion—but there is more than enough grit to balance it out. Verdict A good crossover book for fans of fashion, cutting-edge technologies, and spy thrillers as well as followers of science fiction. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/1/10.]—Meredith Schwartz, New York
Gingrich, Newt & William R. Forstchen. Valley Forge: George Washington and the Crucible of Victory. Thomas Dunne Bks: St. Martin’s. Nov. 2010. c.352p. ISBN 9780312591076. $27.99. F
Anyone who knows even a bit about the American Revolution understands that the winter of 1777 was rough. But how rough? Gingrich and Forstchen’s second volume in a projected series (after To Try Mens’ Souls) graphically depicts how the winter the Continental Army spent at Valley Forge became “the crucible of victory.” Following the same format as the previous novel, it takes fictional characters and historical figures through the violence, hatreds, and hardships of the period. While the British ate and drank in the warmth of Philadelphia, the American force was dressed in rags, poorly fed, and died by the thousands. Yet out of these horrors an army was created that defeated the British at the Battle of Monmouth the next summer. Verdict As the authors show, the United States was not born in a burst of glory; rather, it rose from blood, grit, determination, and cussed stubbornness. Highly recommended as a more than worthy successor to its best-selling predecessor. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/10.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI
Hoffman, Jilliane P. Pretty Little Things. Vanguard: Perseus. Sept. 2010. c.368p. ISBN 9781593156077. $25.95. F
Hoffman’s (Last Witness; Plea of Insanity) fourth Florida thriller switches from the courtroom to the squad room as Special Agent Bobby Dees tracks a killer targeting “throwaway kids”—troubled teens who might easily be mistaken for runaways. As news coverage grows, the killer taunts the cops and the media by sending a local TV reporter hand-painted portraits of missing teens—and possible victims. As the police build a profile of “Picasso,” who appears to be posing in online chat rooms as a teenage boy and winning the trust of insecure and unhappy girls, alternate scenes show Picasso planning his gruesome crimes. These cases resonate with Dees, as his own daughter disappeared a year ago, and he and his wife continue to hope that she’s “just” a runaway who will call one day asking to come home. Verdict A fast-paced thriller sure to please fans of James Patterson and John Sandford. [Six-city author tour.]—Karen Kleckner, Deerfield P.L., IL
Hyder, Qurratulain. Fireflies in the Mist. New Directions, dist. by Norton. Sept. 2010. c.304p. tr. from Urdu by Qurratulain Hyder.
ISBN 9780811218658. pap. $16.95. F
This English translation of a 1979 work written by the late Hyder (River of Fire), one of the most respected 20th-century writers in the Urdu language, is a complex, fragmented novel that describes both the complicated relationship between India and Great Britain and the formation of a country, Bangladesh, which was East Pakistan from 1947 to 1971. Hyder’s intricate narrative describes a cross section of Indian families (Muslim, Hindu, and Christian), starting in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Her central characters are four young women from these families, with a focus on their heritage, talents, goals, and desire to see India free from Britain. Deepali, who is in love with a renowned Indian dissident, Rehan Ahmed, bears witness to the many changes occurring in India post–World War II. In a culture in which family honor is utmost and arranged marriages are the norm, the political and socioeconomical tumult these women face leads to family separations and exile; how they cope with loss, violence, and the shedding of political ideologies in the face of growing capitalism will shake their lives. Verdict This book is not an easy read, but in its depiction of how an old order passes away and a new one emerges, it describes some fundamental truths. Recommended for readers interested in Indian culture.—M. Neville, Trenton P.L., NJ
Jacobson, Alan. Velocity: A Karen Vail Novel. Vanguard: Perseus. Oct. 2010. c.400p. ISBN 9781593156213. $25.95. F
In this sequel to Crush, FBI profiler Karen Vail and the Napa County Major Crimes Task Force have captured the Napa Crush Killer. Vail’s lover, Detective Robby Hernandez, has gone missing, a suspected victim of foul play. As Vail and her colleagues launch a frantic search for Robby, a new murder points to someone operating under the same M.O. as the Crush Killer. Is an accomplice still on the loose? Is there more to Robby’s disappearance than meets the eye? Is this the case that causes Vail to come unhinged? Joined by mysterious operative Hector De Santos, a desperate Vail repeatedly throws scruples and regulations to the wind in her attempts to find Robby before it’s too late. VERDICT Velocity plunges readers into a nail-biting, heart-pounding chase through the dark world of serial killers, drug cartels, and DEA busts and exposes an edgier, more vulnerable Vail. Jacobson’s best to date; essential for anyone who craves nonstop action, danger, and a gutsy heroine.—Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland Heights
Jensen, Carsten. We, the Drowned. Houghton Harcourt. Feb. 2011. c.688p. tr. from Danish by Charlotte Barslund & Emma Ryder. ISBN 9780151013777. $28. F
This long and solid first novel tells an epic multi-generational story of the maritime community of Marstal, Denmark, beginning in the mid-19th century, with Laurids Madsen, a sailor conscripted into the makeshift Danish navy during the country’s war with Germany. After the war, Laurids signs on to a ship and sails off, never to be seen or heard from again. Enter his son, Albert, who sails the oceans in search of his father and undergoes many harrowing and strange experiences before returning to Marstal a wealthy man. Albert befriends a young widow and tries to provide companionship for her son Knud Erik but is later drawn into a complicated and tragic relationship with the boy’s mother. Albert dies, which turns the story over to Knud Erik as he, too, goes to sea, over his mother’s objections. She has inherited Albert’s wealth and has made it her mission to end the town’s tragic relationship to the sea, which leaves many men dead and makes many women widows. VERDICT Starting off slowly, Jensen’s novel builds momentum and becomes quite thrilling and engaging on many levels, from adventures on the high seas to devastating personal dramas in a small community at the mercy of the forces of nature and history. It may not appeal to a large audience, but it won’t disappoint those willing to make the effort.—Jim Coan, SUNY at Oneonta Lib.
Khoury, Raymond. The Templar Salvation. Dutton. Oct. 2010. c.400p. ISBN 9780525951841. $26.95. F
Four years have elapsed since Khoury (The Sanctuary; The Sign) introduced us to archaeologist-turned-author Tess Chaykin. In this sequel to The Last Templar, Tess and FBI Agent Sean Reilly are once again on the trail of Templar-related documents that will change the course of history and Judeo-Christian ideology, if revealed. Here, Turkey is the battleground for a cache of extant gospels concealed by heirs of a Knight Templar. From the earliest pages, when we learn of Tess’s abduction at the hands of an Iranian zealot to the climax 400 pages later, the action and intrigue never cease. As with most artifact novels, there must be equal suspension of disbelief and acknowledgment of possibility; after all, the Dead Sea Scrolls do exist. Khoury’s choice of language and tone seems credible for each character, time, and place; his ample modern cultural references should withstand the test of time. The language and violence are graphic but appropriate and proportional to the story. VERDICT At times Khoury’s style is more geopolitics lecture as he cites real events to intensify the plot, but his preachiness is offset by his sublime narrative. The result is a full-throttle action-adventure thriller wrapped in a political cautionary tale with a gratifyingly eloquent center. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/10.]—Laura A.B. Cifelli, Ft. Myers-Lee Cty. P.L., FL
Koja, Kathe. Under the Poppy: A Novel. Small Beer. Oct. 2010. c.376p. ISBN 9781931520706. $24. F
In an unnamed 19th-century European town about to be overcome by war, Rupert and Decca, who run a brothel that specializes in stage shows, await the return of Decca’s brother and Rupert’s lover, Istvan, a master puppeteer. When Istvan does appear, he and the brothel crew must perform in several ways to keep their lives safe from the military, the ruling elites, and the endemic violence. The ornate prose has a sometimes confusing syntax, but the chapters told in first person by Rupert, Istvan, and their acquaintances are clear and draw the reader into a web of relationships, betrayals, love, spies, and murder. Despite all the trappings of puppets, sex shows, stabbings, and drawing-room treachery, this is a love story about how, sometimes despite themselves, Rupert, Istvan, and their friends have created a family. VERDICT Koja has written several YA novels and horror-tinged fiction (The Cipher; Skin) for adults. Here, she creates an atmospheric tale for those who like their historical fiction on the dark and lurid side. Those readers who enjoyed Emma Donoghue’s Slammerkin or Sarah Water’s Fingersmith will find similar themes.—Devon Thomas, DevIndexing, Chelsea, MI
Lehane, Dennis. Moonlight Mile. Morrow. Nov. 2010. c.365p. ISBN 9780061836923. $26.99. F
In 1998’s Gone, Baby, Gone, Boston PI Patrick Kenzie rescued a four-year-old kidnapping victim and returned the child to her neglectful mother over partner and lover Angela Gennaro’s objections. That decision ended the couple’s professional and romantic relationship, although they briefly reunited in Prayers for Rain. In the 12 succeeding years, Lehane wrote several acclaimed stand-alone titles (e.g., Shutter Island; Mystic River) and his first historical novel, The Given Day. Yet the haunting conclusion of Gone, Baby, Gone obviously resonated with the author, as the result is this satisfying sequel. Now a freelance investigator for a white-shoe law firm, Patrick knows he was legally right but morally wrong in his actions years ago, but he and Angie, now married and raising a young daughter, don’t discuss the Amanda McCready case. That is, until Amanda’s aunt asks for Patrick’s help in finding her missing (again) niece, who has grown into a brilliant but aloof 16-year-old. This time, he and Angie are determined to do the right thing by Amanda. Verdict Longtime readers will appreciate how Lehane’s protagonists have believably aged. Fatherhood has mellowed Patrick, but he’s not above inflicting a little pain with the help of sidekick Bubba. Temporarily a stay-at-home mom, Angie misses the hard-edged excitement of her old life. A few false notes involve some cartoonish Russian villains, but the resolution, while sad to series fans, makes perfect sense. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/15/10.]—Wilda Williams, Library Journal
Lelord, François. Hector and the Search for Happiness. Penguin. Sept. 2010. 164p. tr. from French by Lorenza Garcia. ISBN 9780143118398. pap. $14. F
In this first novel, which achieved best-seller status overseas, a psychiatrist named Hector takes a trip around the world to find out what makes people happy and to define what happiness is. From China to Africa, he talks to many people, and every time he learns something instructive about happiness, he writes it down in a notebook. Then he verifies his list with a Professor of Happiness and discovers that he has indeed figured it out—mostly. Lelord, a French-born psychiatrist and author of several self-help books, has written this story as if speaking to a child—he’s presenting a simplified version of Hector’s (and his) adventure. The book, part of a series, reads something like Crockett Johnson’s Harold and the Purple Crayon, but the overall effect is charming, clever, humorous, and insightful. VERDICT Adults and teens will both enjoy this rulebook for happiness; recommended.—Joanna M. Burkhardt, Univ. of Rhode Island Lib.
McCabe, Patrick. The Stray Sod Country. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. Oct. 2010. c.352p. ISBN 9781608192748. pap. $15. F
Cullymore, 1958. In this respectable border town, Protestants and Catholics rub elbows and politely knock heads. Everything seems the same, but chilling changes threaten civic and domestic order. Dogs are kicked and cats mutilated. A disgraced teacher plots to murder the parish priest. A schoolboy foments rebellion. The barber’s charming wife wishes the banker’s wife would die. And although almost no one wants to mention it, everyone has spied the Fetch lurking in their midst, waiting to escort one more soul to the Stray Sod Country. Whether he has a hand in the bizarre misfortunes plaguing Cullymore is anyone’s guess. Verdict Although Irish author McCabe (Winterwood) retreads familiar thematic ground here, he also expands and distorts his distinctively creepy creative landscape. Ultimately, he brilliantly upends James Joyce’s view of the artist as a disinterested god to explore the satanic desires and impulses that move some of us to author evil. Funny and alarming, McCabe’s latest provides a compelling counterpoint to other recent Irish fiction, notably Roddy Doyle’s The Dead Republic and Trevor Byrne’s Ghosts and Lightning.—J. Greg Matthews, Washington State Univ. Libs., Pullman
Mankell, Henning. Daniel. New Press. Nov. 2010. c.288p. tr. from Swedish by Steven T. Murray. ISBN 9781595581938. $26.95. F
Although it opens with the discovery of a corpse, this newly translated stand-alone work by the author of the Kurt Wallander mysteries is a mournful historical novel, not a detective story. In the late 1870s, amateur Swedish entomologist Hans Bengler journeys to the Kalahari Desert to discover an insect he can name after himself. Instead, he encounters an African boy whose family has been massacred. Bengler impetuously adopts the child, whom he calls Daniel, and the two sail to Sweden, where the book shifts primarily to Daniel’s perspective. As Bengler exhibits him to ogling whites in cramped lecture halls, Daniel desperately yearns for the desert, a longing sharpened by dreamtime visions of his dead parents. Mired in loneliness, he conceives a fateful plan to learn to walk on water so that he can traverse the seas and return to Africa. VERDICT Glum by even Scandinavian standards, Mankell’s narrative radiates a haunting intensity despite measured pacing. The dearth of suspense likely will disappoint Wallander fans; this is strictly for readers unafraid of bleak literary fiction and those who enjoy Mankell’s other fiction (e.g., The Man from Beijing).—Annabelle Mortensen, Skokie P.L., IL
Martin, Reginald. Everybody Knows What Time It Is: But Nobody Can Stop the Clock. UNO Pr. Oct. 2010. c.177p. ISBN 9781608010110. pap. $16.95. F
Set in the South of 2020, this latest work by Martin (Dysfunction Junction) introduces 30-year-old Zip, frustrated, living at home, and sick of his low-paying job as a hotel reservationist. He leaves Memphis for Atlanta and uses his talent and charisma to land a job as a lounge singer. Meanwhile, successful engineer Siedah is in New Orleans, dreaming of a man worthy of her love. Enter unemployed professor Dennis Johnston, who tracks Zip down after determining that he is a descendant of a Civil War major and slave trader and convinces him to join him on a modern-day treasure hunt starting at the major’s mansion in Memphis. Siedah is given an assignment by her employer to locate the blueprints of that same mansion, and sparks fly between Zip and Siedah when all three protagonists cross paths. Verdict Though the novel occasionally shifts narrators and time periods with little explanation, Martin’s colorful language will draw in readers. Fans of African American and modern Southern fiction should enjoy this book.—Shaunna Hunter, Hampden-Sydney Coll. Lib., VA
Moore, Graham. The Sherlockian. Twelve: Hachette. Dec. 2010. c.368p. ISBN 9780446572590. $24.99. F
This debut literary thriller, which revolves around a central mystery in Arthur Conan Doyle’s life (why did he kill off Sherlock Holmes and then revive him?), weaves together two very different perspectives and time periods. At the annual Baker Street Irregular convention in 2010, newly minted “Irregular” Harold immediately begins investigating the murder of Alex Cale, a top Sherlock Holmes scholar who had bragged about finding the famously missing volume of Conan Doyle’s diary. But when Cale is found dead in his hotel room, the diary is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, back in 1900, Conan Doyle, desperately sick of his famous character, decides he must channel his own creation to find the person who sent him a letter bomb. Teaming up with his friend Bram Stoker, the author finds the situation is much more complicated, involving suffragettes, cryptic tattoos, and murder. Verdict The constant switching of narrators can be jarring, but Moore does an excellent job of making his characters and settings feel real, using his thorough knowledge of the Holmes stories to good effect. Given the enduring popularity of Sherlock Holmes, this title is an excellent choice for public libraries and historical mystery fans who enjoy Matthew Pearl’s thrillers. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/10.]—Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib., CA
Nothomb, Amélie. Hygiene and the Assassin. Europa, dist. by Penguin. Nov. 2010. c.176p. tr. from French by Alison Anderson. ISBN 9781933372778. pap. $15. F
Noble Prize winner Pretextat Tach—the world’s most famous living author—is dying of a rare form of cancer and decides to break from his reclusive life by allowing five journalists to interview him in his dismal apartment. The first four are men who quickly run out of the building whimpering, dumbfounded, and in a condition that only extreme amounts of alcohol can remedy. The fifth, Nina, succeeds where her colleagues fail by keeping control of the conversation and demanding an apology from Tach for his insufferable, hateful comments. Throughout the interview, many topics are combatively discussed: religion, love, family, misogyny, literature, and murder. Digging into archival records, Nina confronts Tach with a secret kept by him for some 65 years, exposing a horror that will make readers shudder. This secret is not only at the core of Tach’s literary oeuvre but also his very essence. Nothomb’s first published work (1992), this novel was made into an opera adapted by Daniel Schell in 1995, a movie starring Jean Yanne in 1999, and, here debuts in English with a brilliant translation. VERDICT Multiple prize winner Nothomb’s work will surely keep readers dazzled, mystified, and entertained. Written in fantastically spare but precise prose, it will stand for decades to come.—Lisa Rohrbaugh, National Coll. Lib., Youngstown, OH
Parini, Jay. The Passages of H.M. Doubleday. Nov. 2010. c.464p. ISBN 9780385522779. $26.95. F
Middlebury College professor Parini (The Last Station) richly imagines the tumultuous life of Herman Melville, alternating between the voices of the great novelist and of his wife, Lizzie. Born in Manhattan in 1819, H.M., as he was known, joined the crew of a freighter, and the sea became his classroom; his seafaring experiences would someday be carved into America’s literary canon. Not only did Melville gain knowledge of the world and the water, but his travels to exotic Pacific islands offered a degree of sexual liberty not generally found in 19th-century New England. Returning home forever changed, he attempted to settle into a life of domestic tranquility, although, as the narrative reveals, he often became hopelessly enamored of men. Melville obsessed over his epic whaling story, Moby-Dick, and was devastated when it met with little public interest. Not until more than 30 years after it was published, near the end of Melville’s life, did his great novel begin to gain the respect it deserved. Verdict Parini vividly portrays Melville’s internal demons in a tale of an iconoclastic, difficult, yet ultimately influential literary figure. This compelling biographical novel will appeal to readers of literary and historical fiction. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 6/1/10.]—Susanne Wells, P.L. of Cincinnati & Hamilton Cty., OH
Pittard, Hannah. The Fates Will Find Their Way. Harper: HarperCollins. Feb. 2011. c.256p. ISBN 9780061996054. $24.99. F
Nora Lindell, a 16-year-old private schoolgirl in a suburban town, disappears one Halloween night. The boys in the town collectively narrate this haunted tale of Nora’s imagined fate and their own lives, from their teens until they are adults with families. Nora lives on in their imagination—there are sightings and multiple theories about where she ended up, the boys fantasize about and date her younger sister, and they continue to think of her when they are with their own wives and children. Much of what they describe is mundane, yet Nora is always there in the background. The tension builds throughout the book, keeping the reader eager to find out what happened to Nora and to the boys and, later, to the men who were so profoundly affected by her disappearance. Verdict This debut from McSweeney’s award winner Pittard is smart, eerie, and suspenseful and will appeal to fans of novels combining those elements.—Sarah Conrad Weisman, Corning Community Coll., NY
Ríos, Julian. The House of Ulysses. Dalkey Archive. Nov. 2010. c.280p. ISBN 9781564785978. pap. $14.95. F
Ríos, Spain’s foremost postmodern writer, sets his latest work in an imaginary museum dedicated to James Joyce’s Ulysses. As the tour guide leads the participants (including us readers) through 18 rooms and passageways, he follows the order found in Joyce’s novel, itself modeled after Homer’s epic. Each “room” imitates the style of Joyce’s work and provides commentary and background for each section. For example, the episode titled “Sirens” is full of musical allusions, “Aeolus” is fragmented by newspaper-like headlines, and “Penelope” emulates Molly’s famous closing soliloquy in one extended sentence. This gloss is actually a rereading of a rereading that prompts readers to wander into genre ambiguity: is it really a novel? Although Ríos is more accessible than Joyce because he eschews the latter’s syntactical complexity, the text contains allusions and wordplay that require sustained, active attention. What’s amazing is the translator’s skill at converting the sportive Spanish text, puns and all, into an equally satisfying and effective English version. Readers who are not familiar with Ulysses or who read this variation without a guide will miss the finer points, however. Verdict A festive, creative, and highly original manipulation of a famous text; highly rewarding for those who appreciate participatory readings and intertextual relationships.—Lawrence Olszewski, OCLC Lib., Dublin, OH
Saramago, José. The Elephant’s Journey. Harcourt. Sept. 2010. c.288p. ISBN 9780547352589. $24. F
In the mid-16th century, the king of Portugal presented Austrian Archduke Maximilian with an elephant named Solomon as a wedding present, and historians celebrated Solomon’s improbable and uncertain journey across the Mediterranean and through the Alps. Using the historical account as the skeleton of the plot, late Nobel Prize winner Saramago (Blindness) peoples his story with an archduke impatient to get the elephant home to his bride; an elephant keeper whose affection for and devotion to Solomon exceeds his love for humans; and, of course, Solomon, who is credited with performing at least two miracles on his journey and possesses more patience, love, and wisdom than any of his human counterparts. In a truly touching description of Solomon’s sea journey, the narrator discloses that Solomon can happily face the fiercest of headwinds, close-hauling with all the elegance and dexterity of a first-class pilot. Solomon’s entrance into Vienna is heart-rending and momentous, reminding us of the nobility of which animals are capable and of which humans often lose sight. Verdict While Saramago’s tale veers into tedium now and then, it nevertheless firmly establishes the pachyderm in our hearts along with all the other great animal heroes in literature. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 4/15/10.]—Henry Carrigan Jr., Evanston, IL
Sawyer, Elliott. The Severance. Bridge Works, dist. by National Bk. Network. Nov. 2010. c.248p. ISBN 9780981617534. $23.95. F
Sawyer, a veteran of the 101st Airborne in Iraq and Afghanistan, tells the story of Capt. Jake Roberts and his Kodiak Platoon, a Dirty Dozen–like collection of washouts, screwups, and put-upons, hardened by Jake’s leadership into a crack unit. Ending a deployment from which they will be released without honor, the Kodiaks have one ace in the hole, a multimillion-dollar stash—their “severance”—that has come into their possession. The secret horde will be theirs to split if they can escape Afghanistan alive and smuggle the huge pile of money back into the United States undiscovered. Blending war, heist, and mystery genres, this debut has some good twists and reads quickly, but it suffers from indistinct characters and an unsympathetic protagonist. The Afghanistan and Iraq settings are mostly window dressing for a plot that could be transported to World War II or any later following American conflict. That Roberts’s two chief dilemmas are resolved largely by coincidence doesn’t help either. Verdict A good premise underdeveloped and poorly resolved makes this an optional purchase. [A better, although flawed, title about the Iraq conflict is David Zimmerman’s The Sandbox.—Ed.]—Neil Hollands, Williamsburg Regional Lib., VA
Schlink, Bernhard. The Gordian Knot. Vintage: Random. Dec. 2010. c.254p. ISBN 9780375725562. pap. $15.95. F
Schlink is no stranger to crime fiction, having authored three novels about aging PI and former Nazi prosecutor Gerhard Self (Self’s Murder). His latest exhibits many of the same preoccupations that surface in that trilogy. Georg is a freelance translator eking out a living in France. When his former boss dies suddenly, he buys the agency from his widow. Soon thereafter, he lands a lucrative translating contract for a high-level military project. To top it off, he’s in love. Then one night he catches his lover photographing confidential documents he’s translating. In no time, she has fled, and he’s on the run. But who’s chasing him? And why? As far back as 1997’s The Reader, Schlink’s fiction has been about the search for moral justification in a world of fatally compromised people. His latest, half-mystery and half-novel of ideas, isn’t ultimately much different from his other books, though sometimes it’s more confusing. Solid throughout the first four-fifths but contrived thereafter, it’s still not a bad ride. Verdict Should appeal to lovers of literary European crime fiction and readers of Schlink’s fiction.—David Keymer, Modesto, CA
Schwarz-Bart, Andre. The Morning Star. Overlook, dist. by Penguin Group (USA). Sept. 2010. 192p. ISBN 9781590203897. pap. $23.95. F
Schwarz-Bart’s debut, The Last of the Just (1959), is regarded as one of the great works of contemporary Jewish literature. Fifty years later and four years after his death, a bookend to that novel appears, patched together from the author’s manuscripts by his widow, Simone. Like the earlier novel, this is an intensely personal tale of the Holocaust that stands apart from other works of its type in its distinctive approach. Combining fact, myth, folktale, and fantasy, the plot spans several thousand years, from a small Polish village in the late 19th century to the year 3000 in another solar system. At its heart is a simple and powerful story of a flute-playing cobbler’s son who loses his family but survives both the Warsaw ghetto and the extermination camp at Auschwitz. VERDICT Schwarz-Bart’s harmonious prose stirs the emotions as he considers the unfathomable darkness of the human soul and the brightness of the morning that will always follow. A moving and illuminating read in its own right, his final novel serves as a fitting coda to one of the past century’s most striking literary careers.—Forest Turner, Suffolk Cty. House of Correction Lib., Boston
Sharp, Adrienne. The True Memoirs of Little K. Farrar. Nov. 2010. c.336p. ISBN 9780374207304. $25. F
Mathilde Kschessinska (1872–1971) was as renowned for her love affairs with the Romanovs as for her performances in the Russian Imperial Ballet. In these fictionalized memoirs, the 99-year-old former dancer, exiled in Paris, recalls her triumphs, especially her liaison with Tsar Nicholas II, who dubbed her Little K. Although Little K cannot continue as his mistress after his marriage to Alexandra, Nicholas eventually returns to her long enough to father a child. Little K’s ambitions for her healthy son to replace the hemophiliac Alexei as heir fuels the intrigues that mark her life on- and offstage. She recounts both the changing styles in the world of ballet and the growing political unrest in Russian society through the unwavering lens of her self-interest. Her climb to the rank of prima ballerina and her affairs with two grand dukes reveal her thirst for success without regard for anyone else except for their potential usefulness to further her ambition. Nostalgic for the pomp and opulence of the Romanovs, she crams her memoirs with famous names from the worlds of ballet and European aristocracy as Sharp (The Sleeping Beauty; White Swan, Black Swan), a former dancer, capably blends fact and fiction. Verdict Balletomanes, devotees of stories about the Romanovs, and those who enjoyed Sharp’s previous books are the likely audience. Other readers probably won’t put up with Little K’s self-centered recollections and Sharp’s excessive descriptions of the Russian aristocracy.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State Univ. Lib., Mankato
Sharpe, Matthew. You Were Wrong: A Novel. Bloomsbury, dist. by Macmillan. Sept. 2010. c.192p. ISBN 9781608191871. pap. $14. F
High school math teacher Karl Floor is so lonely and miserable that he is more bemused than outraged when he comes home to find a young woman robbing the house he lives in with his stepfather. In fact, he is so taken in by the robber, Sylvia Vetch, that he drives her and the stolen goods to the beachside house she shares with friends. Karl doesn’t know it, but he and Sylvia share a connection, and like it or not, he no longer hides away in his bedroom after they meet. Karl is a unique main character, at once frozen by depression yet strangely driven, keenly observant and intelligent, cynical and socially awkward but craving human connection. Sharpe’s (Jamestown) writing style can feel blunt or even terse at times, but then there are lovely, often melancholy moments worthy of a second read. Verdict Fans of Sharpe’s previous work as well as contemporary fiction authors such as Dave Eggers or David Foster Wallace should seek out this darkly comic novel.—Shaunna Hunter, Hampden-Sydney Coll. Lib., VA
Straight, Susan. Take One Candle Light a Room. Pantheon. Oct. 2010. c.336p. ISBN 9780307379146. $25.95. F
In the bayou there are two kinds of people—those who stay and those who leave. That’s what Fantine Antoine’s father was told when he packed up his family, moving west to escape the cane fields and the constant danger facing a black man in 1950s Louisiana. Years later, Fantine, also a wanderer, yearns to leave her parents’ California citrus groves. A facility with languages lands her an East Coast education, a hip apartment in L.A., a career as a noted travel writer, and not a little resentment back home in Rio Seco. When her godson Victor, a 22-year-old college kid about to make a life-altering choice, calls to ask if he can crash with her for a couple of days, Fantine demurs, not realizing that Victor is asking her to save him. That fateful decision ensnares Fantine in a family drama steeped in a history of slavery, rape, and murder, taking her on a cross-country journey of self-discovery. Verdict National Book Award finalist Straight (Highwire Moon) has created a vivid portrait of a mixed-race family, proud yet haunted by the vagaries of the past, and of a woman and a boy trying to bridge two worlds. This is also a novel about the importance of words. Straight beautifully blends the rhythmic cadence of the Creole patois with the down-and-dirty slang of the street. With its compelling story, menacing atmosphere, and exquisite use of language, this book has something to intrigue most readers. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 5/15/10.]—Sally Bissell, Lee Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Myers, FL
Tsepeneag, Dumitru. Hotel Europa. Dalkey Archive. Nov. 2010. c.488p. ISBN 9781564785701. pap. $16.95. F
Tsepeneag (Vain Art of the Fugue) here follows the mass exodus of Romanians after Ceausescu was overthrown. People wanted to go anywhere and would do anything not to live in Romania anymore. As a result, the novel is populated with characters, both opportunists and victims, involved in a variety of nefarious activities. Among the crowd is Ion, the everyman protagonist making his way toward Paris, who grows to feel contempt for the consumer society to which he was once drawn. Aside from this exodus, the novel is also about the author struggling with the writing process. Sentences and passages about his domestic life and decisions about his characters and the plot are interwoven with the narrative. Many of the characters assemble at the house in the country as he’s finishing the novel, almost like a cast party. VERDICT Tsepeneag creates a fantastical world from the remnants of a society as it flows into modern Europe. Readers interested in the human story beyond the factual history of the dissolution of communism and those interested in the creative process will enjoy this novel.—K.H. Cumiskey, Duke Univ. Libs., Durham, NC
Volmer, Mary. Crown of Dust. Soho, dist. by Consortium. Nov. 2010. c.288p. ISBN 9781569478615. $24. F
Alex appears to be a runaway mama’s boy. The California gold rush is on, and maybe he’s come to the settlement of Motherlode with the usual foolish dream of sudden riches. Alex takes a room at the Victoria Inn, where a spunky woman named Emmaline serves up rooms, meals, and beds, not to mention nighttime recreations. Readers soon learn that Alex is not a boy at all, but a girl on the run. Alex does indeed strike gold and grows new muscles, working her claim with two partners. Passing for a male is not easy, but Emmaline takes Alex under her wing. Temperance ladies, a runaway slave, and an alcoholic preacher are among the colorful townsfolk who never guess Alex’s secret. As her backstory is revealed in small flashbacks and insights, the novel builds in suspense. Will Alex make peace with her past and/or reveal her true gender? Verdict Even though the main characters are female, and the story is told mostly from their point of view, Volmer’s colorful debut is in many ways a typical Western, heavy on action and subplots involving miners, unions, and strikes that will appeal more to male than female readers. While the novel is fresh and different in some ways, this reviewer had wanted more of a woman’s story.—Keddy Outlaw, retired, Harris County P.L., Houston
Winterbach, Ingrid. To Hell with Cronjé. Open Letter. Sept. 2010. 239p. tr. from Afrikaans by Elsa Silke. ISBN 9781934824306. pap. $15.95. F
Winner of the 2004 Hertzog Prize, the most prestigious award in Afrikaans literature, this novel traces the journey of two destitute soldier/scientists, Reitz and Ben, as they transport an emotionally shattered friend across the barren desert of South Africa during the Boer War. Along the way, the two scientists keep meticulous records of geological and entomological discoveries in their journals. Not just the process of travel but the conditions of travel are in the foreground as the novel narrates several precarious journeys, both physical and imagined, among the characters. Aware of their status as deserters in a futile war and eventually detained, the two protagonists find themselves creating surrogate familial ties with their captors while simultaneously following individual journeys of internal discovery. The simplicity of language here conceals a rich complexity of thought. VERDICT Although set during the Boer War at the turn of the 20th century, this novel is not so much a work of historical fiction or travel narrative as a commentary on desire. Winterbach consistently critiques and displaces rational discourses on the natural world, situating them within the irrational understanding of loss and yearning.—Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH
Short stories
Franco, James. Palo Alto. Scribner. Oct. 2010. c.208p. ISBN 9781439163146. $24. F
Actor Franco, perhaps best known for his roles in Spider-Man and Milk, makes his debut as a writer with this collection of 11 short stories about restless adolescents in Palo Alto, CA. Most involve experimentation with sex and drugs. Marijuana, especially, provides a backdrop, and sex is the source of both desire and guilt. His strongest offerings are two longer tales that focus on young women. In “Chinatown,” Pam, who has a beat-up face, allows boys to do whatever they like with her—and they do. In “April,” a girl is taken advantage of by one of her teachers. While the earlier stories suffer from a bland prose style and lack satisfying conclusions, the latter entries show a writer coming into his own. Franco does a good job of revealing a particular group of kids in a particular place, and his dialog crackles. VERDICT Recommended for readers not afraid to confront the realities of troubled teens, this book can be likened to Bret Easton Ellis’s Less Than Zero, but for a younger generation.—Evelyn Beck, Piedmont Technical Coll., Greenwood, SC
Kurlansky, Mark. Edible Stories. Riverhead: Penguin Group (USA). Nov. 2010. c.272p. ISBN 9781594484889. pap. $16. F
Best known for his nonfiction works (Cod; Salt), Kurlansky rarely dabbles in pure fiction. His last work of fiction, Boogaloo on 2nd Avenue: A Novel of Pastry, Guilt, and Music, was an ambitious effort focused on the intersections of culture, love, and, of course, food. A similar concept is applied in this work, with a focus on food as the thread that ties humanity together. Though this book is presented as a novel, the main story is hidden within a gumbo of 16 different vignettes: blended versions of characters and ingredients, rearranged into a multitude of subplots. From hot dogs to hot pot, Kurlansky reaffirms the universal importance of food without the history lesson. As with his nonfiction, Kurlansky is an enjoyable author because his enthusiasm for his subject is undeniable. This latest work of fiction allows him to take the reader along on the journey, not just through the facts. VERDICT Kurlansky fans will not be disappointed, and readers who enjoy Joanne Harris (Chocolat) will find much to devour in his latest effort.—Joshua Finnell, Denison Univ. Lib., Granville, OH
Self, Will. The Undivided Self: Selected Stories. Bloomsbury Pr., dist. by Macmillan. Nov. 2010. c.480p. ISBN 9781596912977. $28. F
Spanning several earlier books (and including some recent uncollected stories), this collection provides the perfect introduction to the gamut of Self’s darkly comic, verbally dexterous shorter prose. The works range from the Vonnegut-like “Caring, Sharing,” set in a future where childlike “grownups” have robotic doppelgängers that cater to their physical comfort while taking on all of the deeper emotional aspects of their lives, to the satiric “Understanding the Ur-Bororo,” about an anthropologist’s studies of a remote Brazilian tribe whose distinguishing trait is their dullness (indeed, the tribe’s name translates as “The People Who You Wouldn’t Want To Be Cornered by at a Party”). “Tough, Tough Toys for Tough, Tough Boys” showcases Self’s more serious side, as a middle-aged psychiatrist reflects on his past during a car trip to the Orkney Islands. VERDICT Turning outrageously apt metaphors as few others can, Self could build a career on wit alone. As this outstanding collection amply shows, however, he delivers much more. Especially recommended for readers new to Self’s work and libraries that don’t own the collections from which these stories are taken.—Lawrence Rungren, Merrimack Valley Lib. Consortium, North Andover, MA
Trevor, William. Collected Stories. Vol. 2. Viking. Nov. 2010. c.567p. ISBN 9780670022069. pap. $35. F
Gathering 48 stories originally appearing in four volumes, this follow-up collection to 1992’s Collected Stories, Vol. 1 offers readers the luxury of immersing themselves in Trevor’s unparalleled mastery of short fiction. Trevor’s authorial humility and care for his characters and their lives is evident in each selection. Grand themes such as religious sensibility or grief from loss, to which Trevor returns again and again, reveal startling nuances and even more beautifully intricate textures when explored in the larger context of a collection. Verdict If Vermeer wrote short stories, perhaps they would read like Trevor’s, suffused as they are with light, clarity, and depth. This volume underscores Trevor’s primary place in the pantheon of great short story writers and supports his status as one of the greatest literary artists of the modern era. His oeuvre suggests compelling connections and continuities among the work of de Maupassant, Chekhov, and Pritchett and that of the most gifted contemporary short story writers, including Nicola Barker and Anne Enright. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 7/10.]—J. Greg Matthews, Washington State Univ. Libs., Pullman
Last-Minute Mystery
The Best American Mystery Stories 2010. Houghton Harcourt. (Best American Series). Oct. 2010. c.416p. ed. by Lee Child. ISBN 9780547237466. pap. $14.95. M
Thriller author Child is the guest editor for this 14th installment in Otto Penzler’s yearly compilation of the best American mystery stories. Published in calendar year 2009, the 20 selections encompass all aspects of mystery, not just the traditional whodunit crime stories, offer everything from Sherlock Holmes–style deduction to surprise endings, and range in tone from the gritty to the refined. The book is organized alphabetically by the author’s last name, instead of any thematic or stylistic manner, so each story is radically different from the next. While some of the authors are well-known novelists, including the late Kurt Vonnegut and Gar Anthony Haywood, others are predominantly short story authors. But no matter their background, each has a unique voice for the genre. VERDICT This collection is sure to please mystery fans as well as those who enjoy short stories, but it will not be a good match for those seeking a traditional detective story. [Look for an interview with Penzler, plus his five future masters of noir, in the Sept. 16, 2010, edition of our BookSmack! enewsletter.—Ed.]—Elizabeth Nelson, UOP Lib., Des Plaines, IL
Greer, Robert. First of State. North Atlantic. Oct. 2010. c.400p. ISBN 9781556439155. $24.95. M
This prequel to Greer’s series of mysteries featuring Denver bail bondsman/detective CJ Floyd (Blackbird; Farewell) begins with his return home in 1971 after two tours in Vietnam. An avid collector of license plates and other memorabilia, Floyd meets a World War II veteran who works at a local pawn shop. When his new friend is killed in what the police call a botched robbery, Floyd decides to investigate. The story proceeds over the next five years as Floyd learns the bail bonds business from his uncle and slowly readjusts to civilian life. He continues to work on the case as well, uncovering suspects and clues with the help of his friends and advice of his uncle. VERDICT Filling his intriguing mystery with images of life in an African American neighborhood in the 1970s and details of antiquing and flea market excursions, Greer creates a richly realized setting. This should appeal to followers of the CJ Floyd series and is a good introduction to new readers. It will also attract fans of African American mysteries as well as readers looking for a good mystery with a setting just outside the ordinary.—Dan Forrest, Western Kentucky Univ. Libs., Bowling Green
Schwartz, Stephen Jay. Beat. Forge: Tor. Oct. 2010. c.336p. ISBN 9780765328205. $24.99; pap. ISBN 9780765322951. $14.99. M
Detective Hayden Glass, of the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division, is a sex addict in a 12-step program to stay “sober.” He is on medical leave following a horrific murder described in Schwartz’s debut, Boulevard. On an interactive video site he falls for Cora, a sex worker, who lures him to San Francisco. Here their assignations involve him with Russian mobsters, the porn film industry, crooked cops, and murder. Believing the kidnapped Cora is a key witness against a high-ranking police official, Hayden single-mindedly pursues her while trying to elude the San Francisco police and the FBI, all the while recovering from a bullet in his chest. As a screenwriter and film developer for Wolfgang Peterson, Schwartz certainly knows the underbelly of San Francisco. VERDICT The nonstop action borders on the melodramatic, and the graphic descriptions of the porn industry may limit the audience, but this is a scene perhaps uniquely described. If Hayden can pull himself together, with the aid of a female holistic medical examiner, he likely will appear in another tale.—Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale
Mrs. and Mr. Mystery
Muller, Marcia. Coming Back: A Sharon McCone Mystery. Grand Central. Oct. 2010. c.304p. ISBN 9780446581066. $24.99. M
Rehab is hard work. Seven months after emerging from Locked-In Syndrome (as recounted in Locked In), Sharon McCone has been laboring to regain speech and motor control, working daily at physical therapy alongside Piper Quinn, victim of a devastating car accident. When Quinn misses days of exercise, McCone is worried enough to track her down, and when all traces of her and her fellow apartment building residents vanish overnight, McCone calls investigator Adah Joslyn for help. But when Joslyn also disappears, McCone realizes that her lack of follow-up has put her colleague in peril. As McCone chafes at being considered “special” and restricted from driving or piloting a plane, she finds her agency up against a ruthless rogue intelligence group, disbanded by the Obama administration but still operating and going after intelligence gathered by Quinn’s ex-husband in Iraq. VERDICT What sets this novel far above the standard is Muller’s sensitive and poignant description of McCone’s struggles to regain her abilities—once again to be the brave and self-sufficient woman her husband Hy Ripinsky fell in love with. (And if Muller seems to preach about the danger of quasi-government and paramilitary organizations, her warnings sound justified.) Seeing Sharon McCone come back is a special pleasure—don’t miss it. [Muller is married to mystery author Bill Pronzini, whose latest book, The Hidden, is reviewed below.—Ed.]—Michele Leber, Arlington, VA
Pronzini, Bill. The Hidden: A Novel of Suspense. Walker. Nov. 2010. c.224p. ISBN 9780802718006. $24. M
Jay Macklin is hoping that spending the time between Christmas and New Year’s with his wife, Shelby, at a friend’s cottage on the Northern California coast will bring them closer together after a hard year. After they lose power during a storm on their first night, they visit their neighbors for some matches. Brian Lomax answers the door with a gun in hand, and even after the Macklins are invited in for a drink, the tension in the house is enough to send them away quickly. Interspersed with the main action are several vignettes featuring a man who is willing to murder those who threaten the coastal wilderness. The bad weather, the marital strife, and the suspicion that almost every character displays lend Pronzini’s (Savages; The Crimes of Jordan Wise) latest book a gloomy air. Jay doesn’t evoke much sympathy, and the real action, on a dark and stormy night, no less, doesn’t occur until the final quarter. Verdict Not Pronzini’s strongest work, this is still worth a look for his fans and most mystery collections. [Pronzini is married to Marcia Muller, whose latest Sharon McCone mystery, Coming Back, is reviewed above.—Ed.]—Eric Norton, McMillan Memorial Lib., Wisconsin Rapids, WI
