Fiction Reviews: Week of 1/8/2007
By Staff -- Publishers Weekly, 1/8/2007
Fiction
The Religion Tim Willocks. Sarah Crichton Books/ FSG, $26 (704p) ISBN 978-0-374-24865-9
Willocks, a novelist (Bad City Blues) and screenwriter (Sin), strikes gold with this epic account of the Turkish siege of Malta in 1565—the first of a planned trilogy featuring Mattias Tannhauser, the son of a Saxon blacksmith. Young Tannhauser is kidnapped by Muslim raiders and trained as a holy warrior before winning his release and settling in Sicily, where he becomes a prosperous arms dealer. His comfortable life is interrupted by the arrival of Contessa Carla La Penautier, a young widow who uses her considerable charms (and title) to recruit Tannhauser to help her find Orlandu, the bastard son she was forced to abandon at birth 12 years earlier. Arriving on Malta, where Carla believes her son is, Tannhauser and Carla get caught in the Turkish attack on the Christian enclave. Meanwhile, Orlandu's father, Ludovico Ludovici, a monk and feared inquisitor, has returned to Malta with hopes of bringing Malta under papal control. Tannhauser has to find Orlandu, unmask the scheming and unscrupulous Ludovici, survive vicious combat against the Turks, win Carla's heart and find a way to escape the "island of fanatics and fools." In Tannhauser, Willocks has created a dazzling hero whose debut will leave readers eager for the next installment. (May)
Yes, Yes, Cherries: StoriesMary Otis. Tin House (PGW, dist.), $12.95 paper (224p) ISBN 978-0-9776989-0-5
Shame, spurned love and seething desire run through the sometimes-connected stories in Otis's adroit debut collection. Several concern the hapless young Allison, who struggles through the hormonal upheaval of adolescence in the first story, "Pilgrim Girl," by becoming infatuated with her married neighbor, Rick Wingert. Rick's wife, Janie, fusses excessively over Mr. Teddy Wonderful, her cat, signaling trouble to come—both for Allison and for Mr. Teddy. In "Welcome to Yosemite," Allison, married to unemployed chronic liar Phil, gets fired for misrepresenting the concept of time to her first-grade pupils and spots Phil acting too comfortable with spacey neighbor Audrey. In "Stones," Allison, now seeing a dubious therapist after the breakup of her marriage (Phil has wandered off with Audrey), is employed at a shady investment firm and accidentally-on-purpose hits Audrey's child in the head with a rock. Other stories delve into affairs (as in the title story, "Straight and Narrow"), and though they're sharply drawn, the collection is more notable for depth than for range. (May)
A Handbook to LuckCristina García. Knopf, $24 (288p) ISBN 978-0-307-26436-7
García's solid triptych opens in 1968, where Enrique Florit is a nine-year-old struggling to retain memories of his mother, who died in a bizarre accident in Cuba during one of his father Fernando's magic acts. Father and son relocate to Las Vegas, where Enrique develops a fascination with gambling. The novel then shifts to Marta Claros, a young girl attempting to eke out a living for her family in San Salvador, El Salvador, by selling used clothing. Marta's younger brother, Evaristo, escapes from their violent stepfather and takes up residence in a coral tree, only to witness brutal acts committed by soldiers at night. Marta, meanwhile, devises a plan to immigrate to the U.S., hoping to send for Evaristo later. In yet another part of the world, Leila Rezvani grows up amid luxurious yet isolated surroundings in Tehran, where her mother flirts with the horticulturist, her father is absorbed by his work, and her brother is dying. Enrique emerges as the central figure as years pass, first entangling with Leila, whom he meets in a casino, and later with Marta, with whom he has a platonic relationship. García (Dreaming in Cuban) lovingly portrays her characters grappling with misfortune and luck in unfamiliar surroundings. (Apr.)
Mergers and AcquisitionsDana Vachon. Riverhead, $23.95 (256p) ISBN 978-1-59448-934-1
Greenwich, Conn.–bred Vachon did a stint at JP Morgan after graduating from Duke, an experience that no doubt influenced this dizzying romp through investment banking heaven and hell, which rises and falls among numbing corporate indoctrination, pressure-choked deadlines, fabulously swank parties and an obscenely over-the-top business junket complete with kidnappers. At the heart of it all is Tommy Quinn, an upper-middle-class kid from Westchester whose Georgetown degree in Interdisciplinary Studies leaves him bereft of finance know-how. No matter, once Tommy hooks up with Princeton grad Roger Thorne (who has a real pedigree, a reputation for sexual prowess and a hot sister), and the two pursue careers based mainly on smoke and mirrors. Vachon's glee in poking fun at this complex, debased world is evident in his purposefully excessive descriptions of sex (particularly Roger's "dude"-laden monologues), drugs and ruthless execs, but there's a certain amount of drooling involved, too, in the intricate descriptions of jewels and bonuses. Tommy's romance with Frances Sloan, a troubled trust fund heiress, is predictable (though still diverting), and his and Roger's careers (along with several gratuitous deaths that mark them) have denouements and aftermaths that feel forced at best. Imagine a tyro Jay McInerney without the pathos and the been-there, done-that offhandedness. (Apr.)
Theme Song for an Old ShowJeffrey Lewis. Other Press, $22.95 (160p) ISBN 978-1-59051-233-3
Lewis's diverting third novel, a part of his ongoing Meritocracy Quartet (following The Conference of the Birds), concerns a writer, Louie, working on the third novel of a series called the Meritocracy Quartet. Lewis coproduced and wrote for the 1980s cop show Hill Street Blues; his first-person protagonist similarly contributes to a cop show called Northie. Told in retrospect, the novel takes Louie through the 1980s (the first two books cover the '60s and '70s), when he moves to L.A.: his father, Bill, who abandoned the family, lives there with his current wife. After meeting a woman named Melissa (who has recently overdosed), Louie breaks into Hollywood by joining Northie. He has a strange relationship with Northie producer Kurtz, Melissa's ex- and one of Louie's several father substitutes (a pattern Louie acknowledges). Melissa gets pregnant, and she and Louie marry; later, despite trepidation all around, they have a second child. Despite unnecessary metafictional trappings and a forgivingly loose format, Louie's story is consistently entertaining. (Apr.)
Just a Couple of DaysTony Vigorito. Harcourt/Harvest, $14 (352p) ISBN 978-0-15-603122-6
Originally self-published in 2001, Vigorito's bloated first novel goes mainstream in this "newly updated" version. When Dr. Blip Korterly, the eccentric philosopher best friend of narrator and molecular biologist Dr. Flake Fountain, vandalizes a bridge with the words "uh-oh," he starts a chain reaction that ends in cataclysm. Along the way, Flake is enlisted by Tibor Tynee, the megalomaniac president and CEO of Tynee University (and Flake's boss), to create a vaccine for the Pied Piper virus, a U.S. military-designed bug that destroys humans' ability to communicate. General Kiljoy, in charge of the Pied Piper project (and very, very Gen. Ripper from Dr. Strangelove), works out a deal with the local police and the university to test the virus on prisoners. Blip, arrested after a confrontation with a raving preacher on the university green, ends up becoming one of the test subjects. The virus, of course, escapes the test facility, leading to some very bad things. Vigorito frequently delves into goofy metaphors and hippie screeds, and though his novel offers plenty of absurdity, his inability to go big with humor or vision leaves this feeling like Pynchon ultra-lite. (Apr.)
Bidding for LoveKatie Fforde. St. Martin's, $24.95 (400p) ISBN 978-0-312-35963-8
This 12th romance from Britisher Fforde (Restoring Grace) features a heroine as flintily naïve as she is endearing. Upon inheriting 51% of the Stanza and Stanza antique auction business from her uncle Clodio, Flora Stanza sublets her London flat for six months, packs up her pregnant kitty, Imelda, and heads for the countryside hamlet of Bishopsbridge. A chilly welcome and a partial buyout offer await her from cousin Charles, the 49% inheritor who has been running the business for years and is looking to gain operational control for himself and scheming fiancée Annabelle. Despite being banished to a remote cottage and run-ins with Annabelle, Flora decides to stick it out. Acceptance in the local church choir and a growing fascination with the antique business (enhanced by the presence of a number of interesting local men) reinforce her decision. The jejune prose has a schoolgirl quality, but Fforde brings an appealing, bumbling innocence to the age-old formula of a single woman against the vicissitudes of fortune and family, as Flora finds true love on her very own road show. (Apr.)
Brendan WolfBrian Malloy. St. Martin's, $23.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-312-35976-8
A hard-luck Minneapolis guy hits the skids in a major way in Malloy's ambitious second novel (after The Year of Ice). Brendan Wolf, a gay 35-year-old perennial menial employee, can't cover rent and food on $7 an hour. His brother, Ian—in prison for fraud—directs him to Marv, a wealthy, withering elderly gay man. (Ian just met Marv's most recent houseboy in prison.) Though Brendan's plan is to trade housework for room and board, Marv has other transactions in mind. The setup isn't ideal, but Brendan tries to make it work as Cynthia, his sister-in-law, recruits him to play a major role in a plot to steal the proceeds of a pro-life march. The heist sounds surefire, but, sure enough, Brendan soon finds himself embroiled in a disaster that unfolds like a nightmare. The plot is dense if not entirely cohesive, and Malloy's stripped-down prose makes for quick and immersive reading; an interesting spin on classic noir. (Apr.)
O Street: StoriesCorrina Wycoff. OV (www.othervoicesmagazine.org), $17.95 paper (150p) ISBN 978-0-9767177-2-0
Wycoff works over an idée fixe in her debut collection, 10 stories about a young woman's difficult transition to adulthood after an abusive childhood. Most of the stories catch fragile protagonist Beth at a precarious moment in her unlucky life: from the fatherless childhood spent in Jersey City tenements and ramshackle motels ("Where We're Going This Time") to graduating from high school and fleeing at 17 to Chicago. She returns five years later, in "The Wrong Place in the World," upon receiving (bogus, she later learns) news of her mother's terminal illness. Beth is poised in each story for monstrous disappointment orchestrated by her manipulative and mentally ill mother, Angela, who blames Beth for ruining her life. "September 1981" chronicles Angela's downward trajectory, and the eerily parallel "Afterbirth" delineates Beth's own struggle with single motherhood after having gotten pregnant while prostituting herself at a Days Inn. Other stories develop Beth's failed lesbian relationships, and the title story exposes Beth's damage: a gang rape as a teenager at the hands of her mother's stoned boyfriends. Over and over these degradations and disappointments are sounded like elements in therapy, and the result is a straightforward look at pain and renewal. (Apr.)
Heyday Kurt Andersen. Random, $26.95 (640p) ISBN 978-0-375-50473-0
This historical novel may surprise readers who know Kurt Andersen as the cofounder of Spy magazine and the author of the wise and acerbic Turn of the Century (1999). It's set in the mid–19th century, for one thing, and not—at least not ostensibly—about media or celebrity. Benjamin Knowles is a young Englishman infatuated with all things American, including and especially the part-time actress/part-time prostitute Polly Lucking, whom he meets on his first passage to New York. Just as Knowles and Polly are about to go public with their love, Knowles does that boy-thing—i.e., says something stupid—and she flees New York. It's worth getting through the slowish beginning to arrive at the delightful, intelligent last two-thirds of this long novel when Knowles teams up with Polly's damaged brother, Duff, and family friend, Timothy Scaggs, a journalist of sorts, in a trek west in search of the freethinking Ms. Lucking, with a murderer just behind them (it's a subplot). Andersen's second novel is more than just a love story or a history lesson (though there are details included that make it clear how much research Andersen did); it's a true novel of ideas. The group visits a 19th-century health farm/cult, for example. The occasional historical figure—e.g., Charles Darwin—makes an appearance as well. There are shades of T.C. Boyle's The Road to Wellville, as well as aspirations toward E.L. Doctorow. But in the end, this second novel belongs to Andersen, a tale of bright, rambunctious, aspiring young people. Like them, the book is rowdy, knowing—and wholly American. (Mar.)
Whitethorn WoodsMaeve Binchy. Knopf, $25.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-307-26578-4
A proposed highway near the Irish town of Rossmore will mean the destruction of St. Ann's Well, a shrine in Whitethorn Woods thought to deliver healing, husbands and other miracles. The shrine resides in the parish of Fr. Brian Flynn, curate of St. Augustine's. As a fracas erupts between shrine skeptics who want the highway and shrine believers who want the shrine preserved, Flynn, unsure of where he stands on the issue and questioning his place in an increasingly secular Ireland, goes to the shrine and prays that he might "hear the voices that have come to you and know who these people are." Binchy (Tara Road) goes on to deliver just that: a panoply of prosaic but richly drawn first-person characters, such as Neddy Nolan, a not-so-simple simpleton; 60-something Vera, who finds love on a singles trip meant for those much younger; and unassuming antiques magnate James, whose wife of 26 years is dying. Stories of greed, infidelity, mental illness, incest, the joys of being single, the struggles of modern career women, alcoholism, and the heartbreak of parenting span generations, simply and poignantly. Binchy takes it all in and orchestrates the whole masterfully. 400,000 announced first printing. (Mar.)
Simply MagicMary Balogh. Delacorte, $22 (334p) ISBN 978-0-385-33823-3
The third in Balogh's Simply series of Regency romances, centered on a group of friends who teach at a private girls' school in Bath, is absorbing and appealing. Susanna Osbourne is one of the teachers at Miss Martin's School for Girls, a gentleman's daughter who has been alone in the world since she lost her father and her home at age 12, leaving her with depth, complexity and a cautious nature. At 23, Susanna's satisfaction with her life and career doesn't waver, even when she meets Viscount Whitleaf, Peter Edgeworth, 26, while visiting a friend's estate for the summer. Peter's good looks, charm and easy flirtation strike Susanna as frivolous, and his connection to her childhood home and early trauma frighten her. But despite Susanna being "gauche as a girl just stepping out of a schoolroom for the first time," they are drawn to each other, a friendship develops, and it looks to lead someplace both of them are afraid to go. The conflicts are mostly to do with the way Susanna and Peter resolve to accept the social realities of their time, and how in failing, they bring out the best in each other. This is an unusually subtle approach in a romance, and it works to great effect. (Mar.)
Then We Came to the End Joshua Ferris. Little, Brown, $23.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-316-01638-4
In this wildly funny debut from former ad man Ferris, a group of copywriters and designers at a Chicago ad agency face layoffs at the end of the '90s boom. Indignation rises over the rightful owner of a particularly coveted chair ("We felt deceived"). Gonzo e-mailer Tom Mota quotes Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson in the midst of his tirades, desperately trying to retain a shred of integrity at a job that requires a ruthless attention to what will make people buy things. Jealousy toward the aloof and "inscrutable" middle manager Joe Pope spins out of control. Copywriter Chris Yop secretly returns to the office after he's laid off to prove his worth. Rumors that supervisor Lynn Mason has breast cancer inspire blood lust, remorse, compassion. Ferris has the downward-spiraling office down cold, and his use of the narrative "we" brilliantly conveys the collective fear, pettiness, idiocy and also humanity of high-level office drones as anxiety rises to a fever pitch. Only once does Ferris shift from the first person plural (for an extended fugue on Lynn's realization that she may be ill), and the perspective feels natural throughout. At once delightfully freakish and entirely credible, Ferris's cast makes a real impression. (Mar.)
Thong on Fire: An Urban Erotic TaleNoire. Atria, $14.99 paper (272p) ISBN 978-1-4165-3302-3
Last seen during a short walk-on (or rather, incall) in Thug-a-Licious, Saucy Robinson returns with a vengeance in Noire's latest Harlem street tale, with Noire's most sophisticated plot to date. Born in Harlem to a black ex-G.I. father and a junkie Korean prostitute mother, Saucy (named Seung Cee by her mother and Sarita by her father) ends up in her uncle Swag's care by age eight, after her mother pimps her out to various men and her lesbian lover. Saucy's upstairs neighbor is a black girl named Tai, and the two are on-again, off-again frenemies for the rest of the book. Saucy, a total hottie, ends up attached to various drug dealers and working at a strip joint, the G-Spot. She breaks into doing rap videos, and ordinary-looking Tai, who is working for super-rapper Freedom Moore, hooks them up. Free wants Saucy to act straight, and if she can, her happiness might be assured. Beyond the sex, what drives the book is Saucy's vivid, trash-talking unreliability—except perhaps in describing her own pleasure. (Mar.)
Con EdMatthew Klein. Warner, $23.99 (288p) ISBN 978-0-446-57955-1
At the start of Klein's amusing debut, one-time con man Kip Largo, who's been working at a dry cleaner since completing an eight-year stretch in prison for fraud, is intrigued when the gorgeous wife of Silicon Valley billionaire Edward Napier asks him to help her steal her husband's money, but not intrigued enough to follow through—at least not until he discovers that his not-bright son, Toby, owes several hundred thousand dollars to the Russian mob. Deciding that this is his chance to finally do right by his family, Kip sets about organizing a large-scale swindle to lure in Napier, all too aware that if he fails to pull it off, he and Toby (and the con's other participants) will all be killed. While the plot and characters tend to be by the numbers, the author's background information on how cons work is enormously entertaining. (Mar.)
Dry Ice Stephen White. Dutton, $25.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-525-94997-8
Contemporary cerebral thrillers don't get much better than bestseller White's 15th novel (after Kill Me), which deftly combines complex characterization and intricate plotting. White's debut novel, Privileged Information, introduced Boulder, Colo., psychologist Alan Gregory and the clever but deadly Michael McClelland, a former meteorologist turned killer, whose rampage almost cost Gregory and his wife, Lauren, their lives. In this sequel, while Lauren, a local prosecutor, is absorbed in a sensitive grand jury probe that represents her best chance to demonstrate that she can function despite her MS, Gregory learns that McClelland has escaped from custody and has devised a devious, multilayered revenge scheme against everyone he holds responsible for his incarceration. Almost overnight, Gregory finds his routine existence turned into a Hitchcockian nightmare. Suspected of several murders, he can trust no one. Both established fans and those just now discovering the author's gifts will be turning pages late into the night. (Mar.)
AscentJed Mercurio. Simon & Schuster, $24 (288p) ISBN 978-0-7432-9822-3
British author Mercurio's American debut, a techno-thriller about a Russian pilot, offers plenty of action and suspense, but not enough characterization. We first meet Yefgenii Yeremin as an orphan in Stalingrad in 1946, the rest of his family having died in WWII. We never learn his age, only that he is big and strong and good at math. His math skills get him a scholarship to an aviation school, and from then on Yeremin dreams only of flying—first as one of the Russian MiG pilots who wore North Korean uniforms to attack American jets during the Korean War, then as an unsung hero of the Russian space program. Gripping action scenes include a gut-wrenching solo flight in which he's almost killed, but too many details of training pad out a short book, and nothing in it really tells us enough about Yeremin to make us care what happens to him. Mercurio (Bodies) trained as a doctor and served with the Royal Air Force. (Mar.)
Virgin LiesRoderick Anscombe. St. Martin's, $24.95 (304p) ISBN 978-0-312-36567-7
In Anscombe's taut thriller, his second to feature Boston forensic psychiatrist Paul Lucas (after 2005's The Interview Room), Lucas looks into the abduction of nine-year-old Danielle McNeely, who vanishes while buying coffee for Paul's wife, Abby, at her social services agency. The police, who still believe Paul killed a cop despite his being cleared in The Interview Room, are reluctant to work with him, but assistant DA Brenda Gorn insists. Paul's careful interviews with the one witness, Martha Kinnard, a homeless schizophrenic, lead to Arthur and Molly Hodges, an elderly couple whose van Martha may have seen. Abby, still traumatized by the loss of their only child in an auto accident, goads Paul to save Danielle by crossing ethical boundaries. In a psychologically brutal climax, Paul risks his personal and professional future. Anscombe, himself a forensic psychiatrist, adds depth and realism with his analyses of psychotic behavior, but some readers may find the ending jarringly truncated. (Mar.)
Cover-up Michele Martinez. Morrow, $23.95 (352p) ISBN 978-0-06-089900-4
The brutal rape and murder of Suzanne Shepard, a scandal-mongering New York City TV journalist, provides a welcome high-profile case for Melanie Vargas in Martinez's stellar third thriller to feature the sharp and sexy federal prosecutor (after The Finishing School). Melanie accompanies her boyfriend, FBI agent Dan O'Reilly, to the grisly crime scene in Central Park, where someone, later dubbed the Central Park Butcher, has carved "bitch" into the victim's stomach with a hunting knife. In the ensuing joint state-federal investigation, Dan, Melanie and NYPD detective Julian Hay pursue a number of slippery suspects, including a well-known politician who the media claim is getting special treatment. Then Melanie starts receiving threatening e-mails. Could it be the same guy who stalked Shepard, or a celebrity cosmetic surgeon, a fitness trainer who also deals drugs, or a suspicious witness? Martinez, herself a former federal prosecutor, supplies plenty of insider savvy as she juggles the large cast with élan. (Mar.)
Swimming Toward the LightAngela Tehaan Leone. Syracuse Univ., $24.95 (200p) ISBN 978-0-8156-0857-8
Leone draws on her heritage in her uneven debut, a flawed novel about a dysfunctional Lebanese Christian immigrant family living in 1950s Washington, D.C. The daughter of a meek father and tyrannical mother, Irene Awtooah is gifted with a magnificent voice, but singing is forbidden in her joyless home. When Irene is 14, two neighborhood women—non-Lebanese "outsiders"—hear Irene singing and offer her free music lessons, but Mama, who married at 13 and had her first child at 14, sabotages Irene's lessons and crushes her spirit, sending the girl into a downward spiral. Though the story is Irene's, it's narrated by Irene's sister, Lottie, who remains needlessly opaque throughout. Also, Mama's viciousness is never made believable. Readers may be seduced by the Mideast immigrant angle, but the story and storytelling are disappointing. (Mar.)
The Master of SecretsD.S. Lliteras. Hampton Roads, $19.95 (240p) ISBN 978-1-57174-538-5
Acclaimed for his religiously themed novels Judas the Gentile and The Silence of John, Lliteras again delivers an imaginatively gripping story of faith, doubt and ultimate redemption. In the frenetic opening chapters, the young boy Addan is sent stumbling into the chaos of postcrucifixion Golgatha to find his father, a disciple of the recently slain Rabbi Jesus. Wending his way through a maze of danger and deceit, he finds comfort, shelter and some very good wine in the company of the wily Jeshua. A showman not unlike the Wizard of Oz's Professor Marvel, Jeshua has an almost endearing moral paucity, and using his considerable wit and charm, he alternately spars with, encourages, corrupts and protects his young companion. Addan's character shows an admirable balance of naïveté with bravado, blind faith with common sense and even a bit of unexpected wisdom. Together the two wreak, flee and try to survive a particular kind of havoc before coming face to face with their own mortality and issues of faith. Lliteras's brand of biblical fiction is heart-racing; it's messy, bloody and honest. Deftly crafted, the rich layers of darkness —emotional, physical and political—give this tale an unusual depth. (Mar.)
The Perfect Royal MistressDiane Haeger. Three Rivers, $17.95 (400p) ISBN 978-0-307-23751-4
In Haeger's impressive Restoration romance, King Charles II and his mistress, the fruit seller turned actress, Nell Gwynne, leap off the page. Following his exile and his father's murder, the notoriously lascivious Charles, who has a passel of illegitimate children, falls for Nell after seeing her appear in one of the bawdy comedies that have propelled her to fame. As the two become lovers, Haeger skillfully depicts the complexity of a relationship between the most powerful man in England and the beautiful girl from London's gritty Coal Yard Alley. Nell tries to keep up with her acting career and maintain her preferred status amid a coterie of beautiful competitors, including French noblewoman Louise de Keroualle, sent by Louis XIV to woo Charles as he mulls political negotiations between the Dutch and French. Charles and Nell are marvelously complex—jealous and petty, devoted yet fallible. Haeger (The Ruby Ring) perfectly balances the history with the trystery. (Mar.)
VisibilityBoris Starling. Dutton, $25.95 (336p) ISBN 978-0-525-94996-1
At the start of this smart, intriguing puzzle from British author Starling (Vodka), Herbert Smith, "once of the British Army, latterly of MI5" and now a detective with "the Metropolitan Police's Murder Squad," draws the case of a drowned man found in a Hyde Park pond. Normally, this would be a rare occurrence, but it's 1952 and London is gripped in a fog so miasmic that stumbling into a pond can easily be written off as a simple accident. It's not, of course, and Smith's investigations bring him into contact with a scientist who possesses a secret that will change the future; a beautiful, blind police diver, Hannah Mortimer; several Russian spies; British turncoats; and a Nazi so reviled that even today his name evokes absolute evil. Where most thriller writers plumb the depths of imagination for their earth-shattering secrets, Starling does just the opposite by employing the reality of history. It's a difficult trick, but once again he pulls it off with panache. (Mar.)
Eye of the Archangel: A Mallory and Morse Novel of EspionageForrest DeVoe Jr. HarperCollins, $24.95 (296p) ISBN 978-0-06-072380-4
In this sprightly early '60s spy thriller from Shamus-winner Max Phillips under his DeVoe pseudonym, the sequel to Into the Volcano, repressed sexual tension between Jack Mallory, who works for the Consultancy, a freelance firm that acquires and sells world-class secrets, and Laura Morse, who's on loan from the CIA, threatens their partnership. (Laura thinks Jack thinks she's a lesbian, but is certain he'll never know one way or the other unless she tells him.) Add to this a young recruit who's uptight about being part "Negro," and the team has the potential for fractures that only tough professionalism can avoid. DeVoe successfully captures the feel and attitudes of the period in a novel closer to James Bond's glitz than to John le Carré gloom, as everybody chases a German scientist, a Nazi secret weapon and a fiendish international arms dealer through Monte Carlo and the Swiss Alps, with much ado about auto racing and the lifestyles of the very rich. (Mar.)
There's Always a ReasonWilliam Fredrick Cooper. Atria/Strebor, $14 paper (288p) ISBN 978-1-59309-111-8
Cooper's sincere sophomore effort (after Six Days in January) revisits the hard luck life of William McCall, now a 40-year-old law clerk whose latest heartbreak occurs when he catches his girlfriend cheating on him the night he'd planned on proposing. The next day at work, he's accused of embezzling and is fired. Two pages later, he's sleeping in a homeless shelter and slinging a mop at a Times Square McDonald's. But then, while nursing his wounds one day on the Hoboken waterfront, he spies Linda "Lucky" Woodson, a 47-year-old social worker grooving down the pier and singing badly a Luther Vandross song. Linda has also been through the relationship wringer; she's just been dumped because she can't have children. (She had a hysterectomy at 22.) William and Linda hit it off, and as the pair begin restoring each other's faith in love, a cruel twist arrives in the form of a devastating diagnosis for Linda. William's unapologetic emotional vulnerability forms the book's refreshing heart, and through him Cooper conveys both an understanding of and a frustration with the games men and women play. Readers interested in uplift will look past the overheated prose and mawkishness. (Mar.)
ScavengerDavid Morrell. Perseus/Vanguard, $24.95 (368p) ISBN 978-1-59315-441-7
This unwieldy thriller from bestseller Morrell (First Blood) becomes so caught up in its headlong action that it never stops to explore the possibilities of its intriguing premise. Frank Balenger, the emotionally banged-up hero of the Stoker Award–winning Creepers (2005), finds he must play an elaborate time-travel game to save himself and his lover, blonde, blue-eyed Amanda Evert, who reminds him so much of his late wife. The nefarious Adrian Murdock, a history professor at Atlanta's Oglethorpe University and a member of the Time Capsule Society, sends the pair on a hunt through time that keeps them in constant danger as they attempt to discover the secret of a series of time capsules. While Morrell delivers race-against-the-clock thrills with his usual aplomb and does a good job educating the reader about actual time capsules, the minimal characterization makes it hard to care about Balenger and Amanda. Video gamers will be most satisfied. 15-city author tour. (Mar.)
The Return of Jonah GrayHeather Cochran. Mira, $13.95 paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-7783-2360-0
A by-the-numbers woman pursues an earthy beau in Cochran's above-average second novel. Sasha Gardner, a 31-year-old IRS senior auditor, is, of course, single, to the dismay of her mother. Her last boyfriend was a dud, and Sasha is merciless when sizing up potential dates, but the new archivist at work, Jeff Hill, passes muster; his "touch of OCD" complements Sasha's detail-orientation. Besides, with increasingly troublesome family drama, a terminally ill father and a series of strange phone calls at the office, Sasha could use distraction. Her relationship, however, is derailed as she's smacked with a taboo crush: Jonah Gray, the journalist, proprietor of a popular gardening Web site and, unfortunately, an auditee. As Sasha sifts through Gray's financial data, the man becomes more and more intriguing, and her professional queries only leave her more curious. Cochran's novel is better written than most in the genre, and her take on the divergent lives of arborists and accountants is both poignant and humorous. (Mar.)
Sister TeresaBarbara Mujica. Overlook, $24.95 (383p) ISBN 978-1-58567-834-1
While not a conventional hagiography, this engaging novel depicts Teresa of Ávila as an extraordinary woman whose visions, church reform ideas and writing may well have been inspired by God. Mujica, a Georgetown University Spanish professor and two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, presents Teresa as a very human saint-in-the-making: by turns coquettish, self-loathing, desperately ill, politically masterful, blisteringly witty and, above all, God-obsessed. Though the events of Teresa's life, particularly her conversion and, later, her founding of the barefoot order of Carmelite nuns, are interesting, Mujica's fictional narrator, Sister Angelica, steals the show. Depicted as Teresa's maid who later becomes her best friend, Angelica becomes a nun when a potential husband rejects her because she knows how to read. Much to her delight, taking the veil transforms her from a humble member of the servant class to a respected medic who is often treated as well as an aristocrat. Angelica's down-to-earth narration is a good choice for the story of an overwrought saint, and her matter-of-fact description of the staggering realities of life in 16th-century Spain give the novel an earthy appeal. Despite the many ugly historical events, such as the Spanish Inquisition, that figure into the story, it is surprisingly light and entertaining. (Mar.)
Accidentally EngagedMary Carter. Kensington, $12.95 paper (320p) ISBN 978-0-7582-1539-0
Carter's second novel (after She'll Take It) follows a thrice-divorced tarot card reader possessed of questionable psychic prowess who is drawn into the strange dealings of a wealthy family. Despite three failed marriages, 32-year-old Clair Ivars is still "in love with love," so she's not exactly thrilled about her first encounter with Rachel Morgan, a manic bride-to-be who bullies Clair into predicting a miserable married future. Rachel leaves her three-carat diamond engagement ring with Clair, along with instructions to return the pricey piece to the groom-to-be, wine and vodka mogul Jack Heron. Hilarity and mishaps ensue as Clair travels to the Heron Estate and meets Jack and his family. While pretending to be Jack's fiancée (to please Jack's grandmother and a group of investors), Clair finds secrets in every corner of the mansion and meets her dream beau. The sitcom-caliber humor hits its mark, and the trove of mini-mysteries will keep readers guessing. (Mar.)
Mystery
Thistle and TwiggMary Saums. St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-312-36063-4
In this delightful first of an offbeat new series from Saums (Midnight Hour), recently widowed Jane Thistle, who has lived many places as the wife of a career military officer, moves to Tullulah, Ala., where she soon meets Phoebe Twigg, also a widow, who has lived in the small town all her life. The two women, despite their differences in outlook and personality, become close friends. When they find a dead body in the woods, and Jane's neighbor Cal Prewitt is arrested for murder, they turn detective to exonerate him. Phoebe's kitchen is firebombed, and Jane is subject to eerie happenings in her house. They persevere, despite the threats, and prove that two crafty widows are more than a match for the bad guys. Saums ably weaves humor, suspense and a dash of the supernatural in this winning twist on the Southern cozy. (Apr.)
Murder on the Ile Saint-Louis Cara Black. Soho Crime, $23 (304p) ISBN 978-1-56947-444-0
At the start of Black's gripping seventh mystery to feature Parisian computer expert Aimée Leduc (after 2006's Murder in Montmartre), a distraught, late-night anonymous phone call distracts Aimée from her deadline and sends her to the courtyard of her Ile Saint-Louis building, where she finds an infant girl. After the caller never shows up for her baby (whom Aimée decides to care for), Aimée wonders if the woman may have become an "Yvette," a Jane Doe dragged from the Seine. She follows a tenuous lead to discover the caller's identity, bringing her Samaritan impulses into direct conflict with her business sense. A wonderfully complex plot is lent immediacy by environmental activists agitating against a proposed oil agreement—secondary characters who play a crucial role in the intrigue. This Paris has a gritty, edgy feel, and Black's prose evokes the sound of the Seine rising with the spring thaw. Aimée makes an engaging protagonist, vulnerable beneath her vintage chic clothing and sharp-witted exterior. (Mar.)
Evil Is Done: A Trish Maguire MysteryNatasha Cooper. St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95 (336p) ISBN 978-0-312-36212-6
The eighth Trish Maguire mystery (after 2005's Gagged and Bound) finds the intrepid London barrister once again sympathizing with a suspected killer. This time it's sculptor Sam Foundling, Trish's long-ago client, who reappears in her life just before his pregnant wife, Cecilia Mayford, is brutally slain in his studio. Trish's defense of Sam and inclusion of him in her Christmas plans puts her on the outs with her friend Chief Insp. Caro Lyalt, who must find the killer to redeem the tarnished reputation of the police. The small-world aspects pile on when Trish's long-term boyfriend George, a solicitor, learns that his firm is working on a project that involved both Trish and the murdered woman. The blustery depictions of wintertime London and heartbreaking domestic strife will still leave readers shivering and glad for another one of Cooper's trademark warm and happy endings. (Mar.)
Death Pans OutAshna Graves. Poisoned Pen, $24.95 (288p) ISBN 978-1-59058-373-9
In Graves's inspirational debut, 45-year-old Jeneva "Neva" Leopold retreats to her Uncle Matthew Burt's abandoned mining cabin in Billie Creek, Ore., for peace and healing after a double mastectomy and the recent loss of her mother. A columnist for the Willamette Current, the resilient, inquisitive Neva also hunts for clues to her uncle's disappearance from his mining claim 15 years earlier. She makes friends in the small desert community with colorful locals, including crusty artifact hunter Skipper Dooley, ex-beauty queen rancher Darla Steadman and miner Reese Cotter. Neva is horrified to discover the corpse of Reese's fellow miner, young Roy DeRoos, and is later skeptical when Reese is accused of murder. Strange events test Neva's courage, leading to a startling resolution that's both macabre and entertaining. (Mar.)
Murder on the CelticConrad Allen. St. Martin's Minotaur, $23.95 (288p) ISBN 978-0-312-35619-4
A dangerous fugitive and a series of thefts mar a voyage the Celtic makes in 1910 from New York to London in Allen's satisfying eighth shipboard mystery to feature the husband-wife detective team of Bostonian George Porter Dillman and Englishwoman Genevieve Masefield (after 2006's Murder on the Oceanic). While the lovely Genevieve fends off suitors vying for her affections (the pair conceal their marriage supposedly for more efficient sleuthing), she and George are on the lookout for Edward Hammond, a thief wanted for murder who might have sneaked on board. Among the legitimate first-class passengers is novelist Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, whose cherished first edition of his novel A Study in Scarlet—which introduced the character of Sherlock Holmes—goes missing. The light, well-executed plot will live up to the expectations of Allen's fans. (Mar.)
Passports to Crime: The Finest Mystery Stories from International Crime WritersEdited byJanet Hutchings. Carroll & Graf, $16.95 paper (432p) ISBN 978-0-78671-916-7
Hutchings assembles another winning anthology (after 2004's Ellery Queen Presents Great Mystery Novellas) with this collection of 26 mystery stories in translation, representing 15 countries and 11 languages and chosen from a three-year-old monthly series in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. The selection includes most of the subgenres—noirs, whodunits, procedurals and thrillers—and though few of the authors will be familiar to mainstream readers, the writing is uniformly excellent. Russian Boris Akunin, who is probably the best known, contributes "Table Talk, 1882," in which his series sleuth Erast Fandorin solves a baffling crime from an armchair. The other standouts include Paul Halter's "The Call of the Lorelei," an ingenious homage to John Dickson Carr's classic impossible crime tales; and Norizuki Rintaro's "An Urban Legend Puzzle," an outstanding representative of the "new traditionalism" Japanese movement that harks back to Ellery Queen and places a premium on skillful plotting. (Mar.)
Foiled Again: A Sarah Deane MysteryJ.S. Borthwick. St. Martin's Minotaur, $24.95 (400p) ISBN 978-0-312-36655-1
Offstage drama threatens the production of a gender-bending play, Romiette and Julio, at Maine's Bowmouth College in Borthwick's entertaining 13th academic cozy starring Sarah Deane, English professor and sometime sleuth (after 2004's Intensive Scare Unit). While sparks fly among the talented young cast (two women clobber the arrogant male lead), interdepartmental politicking escalates between the English department head, Danton McGraw, and the director of the drama school, Sarah's friend Vera Pruczak. Miraculously, the production itself goes off without a hitch, but after the curtain falls Sarah discovers a faculty member critically injured, and later, a student is found dead. She brushes off police warnings not to get involved in her quest for the truth. With natural dialogue and lively characters, the imaginative plot unfolds at a leisurely pace with enough twists to keep the reader guessing. (Mar.)
Letters from CarthageBill James. Severn, $27.95 (224p) ISBN 978-0-7278-6460-4
Best known for his long-running Harpur & Iles series, James again proves himself a sharp and subtle stylist in this scary psychological thriller based on the short story "At Home," from his collection The Sixth Man (2006). The Carthage of the title is a posh house in the suburbs of an unnamed British city where Jill and Dennis Seagrave live, two doors down from a couple of newcomers to the neighborhood, Vince and Kate, who have fled the blighted inner city. Dennis is a broker and a gifted topiary artist; his wife is attractive and friendly. The novel unfolds via letters and Kate's diary, and the first hint of trouble in paradise comes in a letter from Jill to her mother in which she describes Dennis: "like any human being, however marginal, he loves to believe there are positive aspects to his personality." Can this marriage—and these lives—be saved? (Mar.)
SF/Fantasy/Horror
Best New Paranormal RomanceEdited by Paula Guran. Juno (www.juno-books.com), $12.95 paper (312p) ISBN 978-0-8095-5653-3
Guran's pioneering "best of" anthology, the first in a projected series, offers 12 enthralling tales of romance that incorporate supernatural, fantasy or SF elements. A few of these "stories of love and wonder" end with a standard HEA (romance-speak for "happily ever after"), but all avoid cliché. Among the best are Catherine Asaro's "The Shadowed Heart," about a battle-fatigued starfighter pilot; Elizabeth Hand's "Calypso in Berlin," a siren tale about the obsession an immortal nymph-artist feels for her human muse; Claudia O'Keefe's "A Maze of Trees," an eloquent testament to loneliness and sacrifice in an endangered forest; and Delia Sherman's "Walpurgis Afternoon," a whimsical gem concerning a mysterious Victorian home belonging to two witches that appears literally overnight in a middle-class suburb. Other contributors include Jane Yolen, Sandra MacDonald and Elizabeth Bear. In an illuminating introduction, Guran discusses the recent rise of the paranormal romance genre and the attempts to define what it is and isn't. (Apr.)
The Serpent and the RoseKathleen Bryan. Tor, $24.95 (320p) ISBN 978-0-765-31328-7
Strong, elegant writing lifts Bryan's fantasy debut. Once upon a time, in the kingdom of Lys, the Young God's forces captured and imprisoned the evil Serpent. Now, a thousand years later, the Serpent's forces are rising again, determined to defeat the Young God's paladins, the Knights of the Rose, and return the great deity to power. Duke Urien leads the opposition against Serpent ally Clodovec, the king of Lys. When Clodovec has Urien poisoned, Urien's daughter, Averil, becomes evil's next target. Averil flees with the Knights of the Rose and befriends Gereint, a commoner whose magical talent could be the greatest in generations—if he manages to learn how to control its tremendous power. In order to stand against the Serpent's forces, Averil and Gereint must bargain with ancient forces long held taboo. Such a bargain, once struck, could leave Averil and her people vulnerable to their own allies. In the crowded epic fantasy field, Bryan's series opener stands out with its intriguing characters and a vivid story rich with potential. (Mar.)
For a Few Demons MoreKim Harrison. Eos, $21.95 (464p) ISBN 978-0-06-078838-4
In bestseller Harrison's fifth demon-kicking extravaganza to feature Rachel Morgan, the first in hardcover (after 2006's A Fistful of Charms), the Cincinnati-based bounty hunter and spell caster still possesses "the focus," a 5,000-year-old demon-crafted Were artifact. With the help of her pixie partner Jenks and Detective Glenn, Rachel must deal with demons, the elf Trent Kalamack and master vampire Piscary, who along with angry Weres, struggle for possession of the artifact. Meanwhile, a serial killer is on the loose and Rachel's alpha werewolf pal, David Hue, becomes the prime suspect of the FIB (aka the human-run Federal Inderland Bureau). Action-packed and full of Rachel's persistent erotic ruminations, this titillating tale includes a shocking finale that will leave fans panting for the next installment in the Hollows series. 11-city author tour. (Mar.)
The Spaces Between the LinesPeter Crowther. Subterranean (www.subterraneanpress.com), $40 (320p) ISBN 978-1-59606-079-1
British author Crowther (The Longest Single Note) shows impressive versatility in this collection of 12 weird tales that evoke a variety of moods ranging from wonder to horror. "Sitting Pretty" (with Simon Conway) is an uplifting fantasy in which a chair fashioned from the cross of Christ shapes personal and historical destinies over the centuries. In "Three Plays a Quarter," an exercise in Twilight Zone–style chiaroscuro, a magic jukebox in a smalltown tavern replays dramatic moments from the lives of its patrons. In the book's best stories, horrors arise from the efforts of grief-stricken spouses to arrest the natural order and reverse the death of a loved one, notably "Stand By," in which a man labors to reclaim his wife from the waiting room of the afterlife and brings something unexpectedly nasty back with her. Though sometimes weakened by overexplanation of their supernatural elements, these stories are grounded in believably wrought emotions that make their strangeness both credible and affecting. (Mar.)
BelladonnaAnne Bishop. Roc, $23.95 (448p) ISBN 978-0-451-46126-1
Mystifying forces of light and dark continue to rend Ephemera, a shattered world of extraordinary, interconnected landscapes that can be altered by strong emotions, in Bishop's challenging sequel to Sebastian (2006). The Eater of the World spreads its corrupting darkness, and Glorianna Belladonna, disdained and declared rogue for her powers that blend both the Light and the Dark, is the only one who can halt its evil influence. Caitlin Marie, a friendless young sorceress with dark blood, also faces great danger, while her brother, Michael the Magician, is drawn through many perils to Glorianna's side by dreams of a dark-haired lover. Even as their love is kindled, the key Michael brings to cage the Eater of the World may doom Glorianna and take her away from him. Readers encountering Ephemera for the first time may be confused by the complicated, fantastical world, but fans of the preceding installment will revel in Bishop's imaginative powers. (Mar.)
Closing Time and Other StoriesJack Ketchum. Gauntlet (www.gauntletpress.com), $55 (256p) ISBN 978-1-887368-90-2
Though Stoker-winner Ketchum is best known for his novels of hardcore horror (Off Season, etc.), the 19 stories in this collection reveal his skill at crafting short and subtle mood pieces about everyday folk who find themselves wrestling with overpowering emotions that occasionally open them to macabre experience. "Do You Love Your Wife?" tells of a man who sees his crumbling relationship with his lover mirrored in a cryptic violent nightmare. "Returns" is narrated by the ghost of a man who finds that his frustrating inability to spur his grieving lover to care for their pet cat crystallizes the emotional shortfall that distinguished their relationship. Though most of the stories conclude with surprising O. Henry twists, several simply follow the intersecting paths of multiple characters as their experiences conclude dramatically in inescapable tragedy, notably "Station Two" and the title story, which sets a haunting tale of personal loss involving two star-crossed lovers and a predatory robber against a backdrop of the incomprehensible devastation of the events of 9/11. These well-told tales are proof that quiet horrors wrought by a skilled writer can make powerful reading. (Feb. 28)
Mass Market
Warrior Angel Margaret Weis and
Lizz Weis. Avon, $6.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-06-083325-1
In this, the first book of a new series, veteran fantasy author Margaret Weis teams up with daughter Lizz for a smart, high-speed paranormal romance refreshingly free of vampires and werewolves. After a few Dark Angels escape from Hell to stir up trouble on Earth, Derek de Molay, a former Knight Templar and now a stubborn, headstrong angel, gets stuck with a less than agreeable assignment: go back to Earth on reconnaissance disguised as a mortal, complete with a real human body and orders forbidding him to use his powers. His mission is to watch over Rachel Duncan, a plucky young commodities trader in Chicago who's just become involved with a mysterious, charismatic and very wealthy client named Andreas Zanus. Soon it becomes clear that Zanus is one of the Dark Angels, and his designs on Rachel aren't exactly romantic. With a playful sense of humor, a page-turning plot that keeps Rachel and Derek just close enough to throw off sparks, a tightly constructed supernatural world and plenty of suspense, readers will have a devil of a time waiting for the next installment. (Mar.)
The SurvivorsDinah McCall. Mira, $6.99 (384p) ISBN 978-0-7783-2435-5
Bestseller McCall's latest romantic thriller has all the elements that her fans have come to expect, though some readers may find she goes over the top with her high-velocity plot. A tragic plane crash in the Appalachian mountains brings together a disparate group of survivors—Patrick Finn and Darren Wilson, two U.S. senators who happen to get adjoining seats on the doomed flight; Johnny O'Ryan, a young boy whose grandparents perish in the crash; and Molly Cifelli, a young child welfare worker. Wilson already holds a furious grudge against the other senator, who refused to vote for legislation that would have gotten the mob off Wilson's back. In the wreckage of the downed plane, the other two survivors witness Wilson murder Finn, leading to a desperate game of cat and mouse as the killer seeks to eliminate the loose ends. Local psychic Deborah Sanborn has visions of the crash and its aftermath that help several generations of O'Ryans in their rescue efforts, and in the process she falls for Johnny's father. Though it can feel contrived—the coincidental seating of the political adversaries in particular—those with a well-developed suspension of disbelief should enjoy the ride. (Mar.)
Robbie's WifeRussell Hill. Hard Case Crime, $6.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-8439-5769-3
Poet, novelist and Fulbright fellow Hill (Lucy Boomer) brings seductive intensity to this story of quiet desperation and the corrupting effects of obsession. Jack Stone, a 60-year-old Los Angeles screenwriter down on his luck and seeking inspiration, journeys to England for what he hopes will be a creative reawakening. Instead, all he finds is an endless supply of rain, pubs and bad food. Things get interesting when he stumbles upon Sheepheaven Farm, where Robbie Barlow keeps a bed and breakfast with his wife, Maggie, a tall woman with long auburn hair who moves like the dancer she used to be. Restless and magnetic, Maggie exudes sexually charged charm toward Jack, some 20 years her senior, even as she tends to cranky Robbie and their school-age son. As his stay wears on, Jack grows increasingly fixated and, when authorities threaten to slaughter the Sheepheaven herd in the face of an epidemic, he finds the inspiration not just to begin writing again but to make a move for Maggie. Those seeking a more action-packed Hard Case (such as Max Allan Collins's The Last Quarry) may be disappointed with Hill's deliberate pace, but he holds his own in the pulp genre, lending graceful writing and three-dimensional characters to some risky dalliances and gratifying last-act plot twists. (Mar.)
Killed by ClutterLeslie Caine. Dell, $6.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0440-33598-6
Fans of the television show Trading Spaces might get a kick out of this cozy's leading lady, interior decorator Erin Gilbert, and her habit of reimagining every room she enters. But decorating compulsion aside, Gilbert lacks the charisma to perk up Caine's humdrum follow-up to Manor of Death. The action—what little there is—centers around the overstuffed home of pack rat Helen Walker, who lives alone following her sister's death. Gilbert has been hired by Helen's niece and nephew to clean the place out—much to Helen's consternation—but numerous interruptions stall Gilbert's efforts, including visits from Helen's nosy neighbor, Rachel; from her two bothersome friends, Teddy and Kay; and from an intruder who leaves dead bodies in his wake. Despite two murders, the story moseys along as if the crimes hadn't occurred: Helen returns to her house, and people continue to butt into her business. Gilbert, meanwhile, focuses on clutter control, her relationship with rival Steve Sullivan and, occasionally, the murder investigation. Like its suburban setting, this book suffers not from a lack of charm so much as a lack of energy. Indeed, the latest entry in Caine's Domestic Bliss Mystery series is likely too domesticated for most readers, though some may find enjoyment in guessing whodunit. (Mar.)
Comics
Backstage Prince Volume 1Kanoko Sakurakoji. Viz, $8.99 paper (192p) ISBN 978-1-4215-1172-6
Ordinary girl Akari follows a belled cat into a kabuki theater in an opening scene reminiscent of Alice's trip to Wonderland. High school hottie Horiuchi, earlier hurt by Akari's accidental entry, turns out to have broken ribs and a great talent for the stage. Akari becomes his assistant, even though she knows nothing about kabuki, and he hates everyone. There's lots of internal monologue as Akari ponders Horiuchi's attitudes and her feelings about him. He tolerates her because she's the only one who keeps trying to spend time with him regardless of his bad attitude. She falls almost instantly in love but fears her feelings because she'll never fit in his world. Panels consist of the traditional shojo manga focus on heads and facial expressions. The story is similarly traditional, straight romance with the emotionally blocked male needing female redemption to express love. (If this sounds familiar, it's been the grounding for countless Harlequins.) This book provides the emotional drama of Sensual Phrase without the sex, making it suitable for a teen-and-up audience and anyone who loves the roller coaster of feelings as two people meant for each other find each other. (Mar.)
Pearl Pink Volume 1Meca Tanaka. Tokyopop, $9.99 paper (200p) ISBN 978-1-59816775-8
Love and sex are always complicated in manga, especially for teenage characters, but personal charm and naïve sincerity rejuvenate tired subject matter in this serialized YA romantic comedy. The story's prologue, set 10 years ago, shows how seven-year-old Kanji promised four-year-old Tamako that he'd marry her when they grew up, if she'd be strong and brave. Consequently, Tamako acts like a skinny, pre-pubescent ninja when she reappears in the present, only to discover that Kanji has forgotten all about her. After she becomes a houseguest of Kanji and his irresponsible father, and especially after she watches Kanji cooking and doing the other housewifely chores for the family, Tamako begins to wonder what she has to offer him as a woman—while Kanji begins to notice how nice it feels to have her snuggling against him. This kind of relationship could get nastily kinky very easily, but Tanaka's art is loose and airy enough to keep the mood light. Moreover, the two young people do seem to be learning to care about each other as they watch the antics of crazy adults around them, become curious about their own futures and begin wondering what it really means to be a woman or a man. (Jan.)
Zesty! Volume 1Margot Redding,
Lawrence Rider, and
Studio Kosaru. Yaoi (www.yaoipress.com) $12.95 paper (152p) ISBN 978-1-933664-11-8
The Web comic collection Zesty! is part of yaoi (boys' love) publishers' move to expand their material to include young adults. As a result, there's nothing explicit here, although the lead is blatantly clear about his attraction to other men, with two expressions of his desire for "dick" and "penis" in the first five pages. An early joke is equally tasteless, with Osama bin Laden used as a punch line for a heist distraction. Zesty Tastee has a name better suited to a parody, but he's meant to be the dream man, the playboy son of a billionaire. When a brooding brunette named Prince appears at his father's party, Zesty falls instantly in love, but Zesty's father plans to marry Prince off to Zesty's sister to seal a business deal. The art consists of the kind of manga stylings that are all surface, huge eyes (even for the style) and even bigger hair with lots of bangs. The pages are stuffed with more textures and backgrounds than traditional manga, without the open space that makes them quick and easy to read. In short, it's a generic work, pumped out to fill a growing market without much discretion. (Jan.)
