Fiction Book Reviews: 8/10/2009

Coupland's thematic sequel to Generation X strives once more to explore and define the edges of group identity through a Decameron-style storytelling marathon. Taking place in a near-future in which bees have become inexplicably extinct, five young men and women become the subjects of fame and scientific curiosity when they're the first people in five years to suffer a sting. Zack, an Iowa farmer, is the first and is soon followed by Harj in Sri Lanka, Samantha in New Zealand, Diana in Canada and Julien, who resides in Paris but lives primarily in World of Warcraft. Captured by a clandestine organization headed by a man named Serge, the unlikely group is eventually moved to a remote island, where Serge compels them to recite stories. Always in the background are rumblings of the hyperaddictive drug Solon, which holds its users in a perpetual present. Coupland juggles some fascinating ideas, and the story circle holds equal parts humor and revelation, though the revolving crew of narrators—particularly the women—can be difficult to distinguish from one another. Despite its flaws, this book will interest readers in search of an intelligent look at pop and digital culture. (Dec.)

A deteriorating and increasingly irrelevant actor finds the possibility of renewal in a younger woman in Roth's tight Chekhovian tragedy. At 65, Simon Axler, a formerly celebrated stage actor, is undergoing a crisis: he can no longer act, his wife leaves him and, suicidal, he checks himself into a psych ward. Then he retires to his upstate New York farm to wait for... something, which arrives in the form of Pegeen, daughter of some old theater friends who is now a “lithe, full-breasted woman of forty, though with something of a child still in her smile.” A Rothian affair ensues, despite (or perhaps because of) their age difference and Pegeen's lesbian past. Axler overlooks all the signs that should warn him not to trust too much in the affair and instead tries out more and more sexual turns with Pegeen (spanking, strap-ons, role play), until one night they pick up a drunk local for a three-way that might prove to be soul-crushing. Roth observes much (about age, success and the sexual credit lovers hold one with another) in little space, and the svelte narrative amounts to an unsparing confrontation of self. (Nov.)

Former model and dance devotee Chen brings a lusty exuberance to this telenovella-like tale of a 50-year-old writer who, stuck in a staid marriage and a boring New York life, retools in Buenos Aires and in short order nails love with a handsome, younger doctor, friendship with like-minded women and gorgeous young dancers, and the tango. “I can't believe I'm the same Francesca who only a week ago sat terrified and intimidated in a corner,” the liberated ex-Manhattanite gasps. Falling in love with Roberto, whose marriage is on the rocks, awakens Francesca's sexual desires, bringing her to new orgasmic heights that, even if they don't make much sense, are pretty hot, anyway. Chen takes her adventure over the top with this breathless, lush take on middle-aged romance, sex and happy endings; people “inhale” their food, are “consumed” and “pulsing” during sex and “shiver and cry inside” from happiness. Sure, it's cheesy, but there's an undeniable charm to the optimism. (Nov.)

This posthumous collection from Pulitzer and National Book Award–winner Styron (Sophie's Choice) is a mishmash of early stories and unfinished novel excerpts that, while interesting as an artifact, adds little to his esteemed oeuvre. A former marine, Styron shows the horrors of war not through battle but through vignettes of men on leave (such as the title story) or in their quarters, struggling with their fate. “Blankenship” follows a young warrant officer as he investigates the escape of two Marines from a military prison island. Through interrogating another prisoner, McFee, Blankenship learns how deep soldierly ennui can run. “Marriot, the Marine” is about a writer recalled to duty as a reservist on the eve of his first novel's publication. He finds solace in a superior's love of literature and begins to believe that not all Marines are as brash as his roommate (he of the “wet, protuberant lower lip and an exceptionally meager forehead”), but the illusion doesn't last long. Styron's prose is as assured as ever and his knack for character is masterful, but the overall moralizing tone—war is debasement—is both too simple and too political to work in these character-driven stories. (Oct.)

Bestseller Johansen's latest Eve Duncan forensics thriller features an all-too-mortal vampire. Fresh off a multiple child homicide case (Quicksand), Eve discovers a blood-stained goblet in her refrigerator. The goblet closely resembles one found with the bloodless body of Nancy Jo Norris, a U.S. senator's 19-year-old daughter, the victim of a wannabe Dracula who ultimately thirsts for Eve. In a paranormal twist, Joe Quinn, Eve's FBI love interest, appears to have contracted psychic powers from Megan Blair, introduced in Pandora's Daughter, and can now see dead people—Nancy Jo and Eve's daughter, Bonnie, to be exact. The ghosts guide the search for the serial sucker, complete with corny gothic monologues. Johansen risks alienating some readers as the series slips deeper into the supernatural, but diehards will be pleased Eve at last finds some peace in her ever-growing bond with Joe. 500,000 first printing. (Oct.)

The Swedish writing team of Roslund and Hellström make their U.S. debut with a remarkable tale of loss, addiction and revenge set in Stockholm's seedy underworld. Ewert Grens, a veteran detective, is haunted by a tragic incident that occurred 25 years earlier that left his young wife, a fellow police officer, an invalid. When the man responsible, notorious criminal Jochum Lang, is released from prison, Grens vows to put him away for life. Meanwhile, the detective arrives at a crime scene where a teenage prostitute, Lydia Grajauskas, has been nearly beaten to death by her Russian pimp. Alternating chapters fill in the backstory of Lydia and Alena Sljusareva, girls lured away from Lithuania under false pretenses and sold as sex slaves. In a bizarre twist, Lydia escapes from her hospital bed and ends up taking hostages. This taut and nuanced thriller should appeal to fans of Mo Hayder, Denise Mina and, of course, Henning Mankell. (Oct.)

Near the start of bestseller Sandford's winning third thriller to feature Virgil Flowers of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (after Heat Lightning), Virgil gets a call while muskie fishing from his boss, Lucas Davenport (the hero of Sandford's long-running Prey series). Lucas orders Virgil to look into the shooting death of Erica McDill, an ad agency exec from Minneapolis and a big supporter of the Democratic Party, who was staying at the Eagle Nest Lodge in nearby Grand Rapids. A talk with lodge owner Margery Stanhope turns up unusual details: Margery's clientele is mostly lesbian; an all-female rock band is involved; guests who are so inclined can buy young men for an evening's pleasure; and financial reasons could explain the murder. It's a complicated case, but Virgil is up to the task, and, as always, he's funny, smart and tough when he needs to be—and catnip to the ladies. 500,000 first printing. (Oct.)

The British have coined a term for the kind of novels Vincenzi writes: bonkbusters. Her most recent one to appear stateside is a prime example: fast-paced, well-written and full of sex. It's set in 1930s London, where the very rich drink champagne with Edward VIII and the Mountbattens, while the poor have too many babies, nonexistent health care and can only afford to follow the antics of their royal family on the radio. Cassia Tallow, trained as a doctor but playing wife and mother when we first meet her, inherits a fortune from her glamorous godmother. The windfall thrusts Cassia back into a world of high society, high fashion and old lovers. It also gives her the opportunity to go back to practicing medicine and ministering to working-class women, which her husband has prevented her from doing. But when Cassia begins to suspect that the money may not be rightfully hers, she goes to dangerous lengths to find the truth. Once again, Vincenzi delivers grade-A entertainment. (Oct.)

Understanding Willingham's new novel (the first from comics house Vertigo) doesn't require knowledge of the comic it's based upon, but it certainly helps; Fables follows a population of fairy tale characters seeking shelter in our world after their enchanted lands were conquered. Familiar figures like Snow White, Rose Red, the Beast and Belle, the Big Bad Wolf (a human PI in the “mundane” world) and others fill out a cast led by Peter Piper and his brother, Max. Sibling rivalry, magical flutes and, yes, pickled peppers factor in the clever, adventurous plot that sees Peter pursuing Bo Peep. Fans will find all the charm and in-jokes of the Fables universe intact; like Neil Gaiman, another acclaimed comic book author, Willingham writes without the help of thought bubbles and keeps everything clear enough that readers new to the series won't be confused for long. Though it toys with notions of mythology and its origins, this work still keeps true to the spirit of the Brothers Grimm: dark, fast-paced, moving and entertaining, with a few surprises along the way. (Oct.)

Bangkok, the city where Vincent Calvino ekes out a living, teems with all sorts of characters, as shown in Moore's sprawling 10th thriller to feature the disbarred American lawyer turned PI (after The Risk of Infidelity Index). Calvino foils an assassination attempt on an important new client, General Yosaporn; makes a deadly enemy of Thai businessman Apichart; watches a woman fall to her death past his hotel window; tails the “mia noi” (minor wife) of political candidate Somporn; and repeatedly crosses paths with two professional killers. He also helps a female Spanish U.N. worker, for whom he falls, rescue a young girl about to be sold for sex. In the process of tying a bunch of elaborate plot knots with these diverse strands, Moore reveals the seething stew of wealth, corruption, cultural clashes, poverty and lust that is modern Bangkok. While some readers might wish for a glossary of the many Thai terms, all will appreciate the raw passion that drives the action. (Oct.)

Post–Civil War tensions complicate the romance between an abolitionist's son and the spirited sister of a rebel sympathizer in Nixon's uneven latest (after Angels Go Naked). Four years after the war, in Jarrettsville, Md., Martha Cairnes kills her fiancé, Nicholas McComas, and demands to be arrested and hanged. The narrative then moves backward to explain how the lovers came together: Martha falls for Nick even though he has a reputation as a scoundrel. Nick, meanwhile, thinks marriage is out of the question, especially after it's revealed that his father, killed under mysterious circumstances, has left behind a mountain of debt. Yet the two are soon engaged, and Martha's brother, who may have been involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, resents Nick's efforts to support three former Cairnes slaves, and a tangle of crossed loyalties wreak havoc on the engagement. Nixon tells the tale à la Shadow Country, with a chorus of narrators, but here the variety of voices and the disparate narrative elements—historical account, tragic romance, courtroom drama—renders unclear what kind of story the author is trying to tell, and the riveting beginning is sabotaged by the restrained conclusion. (Oct.)

Military strategist Peters applies the predictions of his nonfiction Wars of Blood and Faith to this outstanding cautionary tale of a near-future war set in the Middle East. Lt. Gen. Gary “Flintlock” Harris commands troops hitting the beaches of what was once Israel before it was nuked into total destruction. Muslim extremists have exploded dirty bombs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and most of the major European cities in an attempt to bring about “the Great Jihad.” America reacts by voting in a radical Christian government and reorganizing the National Guard as the Military Order of the Brothers in Christ (MOBIC). The fighting most resembles that of WWII as electronic jamming equipment cancels out the high-tech weaponry of each side, reducing the level of combat to suicide attacks and bayonet charges. Compelling characters, thrilling small-unit battle scenes and the terrifying possibility that it could all come true make this a must read. (Oct.)

Shamus-winner Judson (The Water's Edge) once again successfully mines Long Island's south fork for glittering noir nuggets. Auto mechanic Caleb Rakowski, the lone survivor of a criminal family, lives on the fringes of respectability in a two-room apartment above the garage owned by his wealthy boss, Eric Carver. Staying out of trouble isn't possible when you're sheltering the pregnant wife of Ronnie Pamona, vengeful former NFL player. Nor is it possible when your occasional assistant, Lebell, is being sought by killers who think you're the best connection to him they've got. The action plays out over a mere three days—Mischief Night, Halloween, Day of the Dead—as the inexperienced Cal tries to protect a growing number of people against crooked cops, trained assassins and other bad guys. Readers will want to see more of the flawed but appealing Cal, with his inbred distrust of authority and outsized sense of loyalty. (Oct.)

Events that took place in London nearly 100 year ago—the Houndsditch Murders and the Siege of Sidney Street—form the basis of Fink's captivating ensemble crime drama. In early 20th-century Russian-occupied Latvia, Rivka Bermansfelt witnesses her father's attack on a Russian soldier, which leaves her a fugitive. She escapes to London and falls in with a colorful group of Jewish and other immigrant revolutionaries who tend to appreciate the arts and wish to live simple lives in America or Australia. Among them is Peter, a painter with a dark past, whom Rivka falls for while the group plots a jewel heist. All around, appearances are misleading: people think of Rivka as a hardened terrorist, but she just wants to be a singer; Peter gains the reputation as a criminal mastermind even though he's only minimally involved in the notorious murders that happened during the botched heist. While on the surface, the novel relates events of the present day to the terrorism of the past, Fink's story goes deeper, creating a compelling and psychologically driven tale of people who have lost their way in the world. (Oct.)

The unlikely yet enduring love between Jacobean poet John Donne and Ann More inspires British writer Haran (Having It All) for her first historical novel. More was a teenager when she met Donne, already an established poet and libertine. The Catholic Donne was an undesirable suitor, and Ann, the well-educated daughter of Surrey nobility, was expected to follow her sisters into an arranged marriage. Little is known about More, which allows for flights of imagination woven into the historical record: inopportune encounters across London, secret letters, a dangerous solo moonlit ride on horseback. Donne's poetry appears throughout the narrative, but there is nothing metaphysical about the couple's passion. Ann risks scandal, poverty and her father's wrath to be with Donne. Haran shows the challenges of being a woman at the turn of the 17th century, doing a creditable job of bringing history to life by creating a portrait of the renowned poet and a matching fictional portrait of the woman whom, according to history and literature, he deeply loved. (Oct.)

Podrug's workmanlike fifth contribution to the Robbins franchise (after The Looters) ventures into religious thriller territory. Madison Dupre, disgraced antiquities expert, is scratching out a living in New York City when Henri Lipton, the hated associate who she thought had been killed in an earlier adventure, offers her much-needed cash to help him track down a religious artifact—a supposed painting of Jesus that was buried in His tomb after the crucifixion. Lipton intends to sell the painting to a Russian holy man, Boris Alexandrovich Nevsky. Maddy survives several attempts on her life and has numerous sexual encounters as she races from city to city in an effort to locate the artifact. Even though Podrug employs the Robbins fundamentals—sex, action and exotic locals—the result lacks the primal heat of Robbins's best. (Oct.)

Proving true friendship can create fierce family ties, Ball's exceptional sequel to 2009's A Year on Ladybug Farm updates the trials, tribulations and triumphs of three single women of a certain age struggling to renovate Blackwell Farms, a rundown Virginia estate. A year has passed since Lindsay Wright, Cici Burke and Bridget Tindale arrived from Baltimore to live on the farm. Adding joy and sometimes frustration to the household are crusty old housekeeper Ida Mae; Cici's 20-year-old daughter Lori, who doesn't want to return to college in California; and Noah Clete, a fatherless 15-year-old Lindsay wants to adopt. Ball's bright examination of their efforts to rehab a place that was burned down during the Civil War, rebuilt, and then served as a winery, a home for WWII military wives and a creamery known for its cheeses, is absolutely delectable. Injecting extra zing are Ball's fascinating flashbacks, while Noah's transformation from misfit to responsible teen is another sweet note in this entertaining treatise of how love overcomes adversity. (Oct.)

This first uncensored translation of what many consider Solzhenitsyn's masterpiece shows the Nobel laureate treading deeply into the logic of Soviet Russia's gulag, if not deeply enough into the minds of his characters. A quest to discover the identity of a rogue Russian diplomat serves as Solzhenitsyn's springboard for a tour of Russia's immense gulag system, slipping from prisoner to jailer to anguished wife (and even detouring through a weary Stalin) to briefly examine the lives of more than 60 significant characters. Each short chapter contributes to a vast mosaic of philosophies and moral dilemmas that, taken together, form a panorama of a Russia gripped by Stalinist terror. Unfortunately, none of the characters steps out from the shadow of the political to become a full-fledged individual; the result is an oddly skewed work, a highly journalistic novel that hits the political and material realities of post-WWII Russia, but that subsumes humanity beneath its ideas. It's more valuable as testimony than as literature, thanks largely to Solzhenitsyn's insight into one of the great abominations of the 20th century. (Oct.)

Inspired by Jane Austen's novella Lady Susan, this biting social comedy from mother-daughter duo Rubino (the veteran author) and Rubino-Bradway (the first-timer) is a delightful, worthy homage to Austen. In 19th-century England, Lady Susan Vernon is left nearly penniless after her honorable, wealthy husband dies and his unscrupulous little brother, Charles, bilks Susan and her daughter, Frederica, of their share of his fortune. Forced to rely upon the kindness of friends, the two spend several months bouncing from home to home. Subjected to the two-faced machinations of her social circle (particularly from Charles's wife, Catherine), Susan cleverly (and believably) turns several of her enemies against each other, using their own words. As in Austen's novels, securing a generous dowry and a “good” marriage (that is, one with money and status) is the all-important goal of every woman, but Susan is a dynamic character more than capable of delivering a shocking surprise. (Oct.)

Set largely in Egypt's vast western desert, Sussman's entertaining if formulaic third archeological thriller (after The Last Secret of the Temple) starts out as an Indiana Jonesian quest for a legendary desert paradise known as the Oasis at the End of the World. When Alex Hannen, a former CIA agent living in Egypt, is found dead, an apparent suicide, her estranged sister, Freya, a world-renowned rock climber, travels to Cairo for Alex's funeral. Freya, soon realizing her sister was murdered, vows to bring the killer to justice. After befriending one of Alex's closest friends, enigmatic Egyptologist Flin Brodie, the unlikely duo find themselves on the run from a host of assassins, spies and government agents—and charging headlong into one of the biggest archeological discoveries in centuries. The smart pace and attention to character development compensate for some dubious plot twists toward the end reminiscent of a weird X-Files episode. (Oct.)

Poet and novelist Kasischke finds beauty amid the apocalypse in her timely seventh novel. The Phoenix flu is sweeping the world, causing mass hysteria, arousing profound paranoia and inciting anti-American hatred worldwide. Jiselle, 32, is a jaded flight attendant and perpetual bridesmaid who says, “I do,” when handsome pilot Capt. Mark Dorn, a widower, offers her a vision of a perfect Midwestern family life far from her humdrum job and the dangers of the pandemic. The glitch is Mark's three minor children, who view Jiselle with derision, pity or outright hostility despite her best efforts to mother them. After the flu threat detains Mark overseas for months and then strikes close to home, Jiselle and her stepchildren must redefine their idea of family, community and their understanding of perfection and happiness. As their prospects of survival dwindle, the nascent family's fragile ties grow stronger. Kasischke's penchant for disconcerting but absorbing fiction is on display, as is her facility with language. Startling, sometimes violent images combine with strikingly dispassionate narration to create a fictional world where terror, beauty and chaos walk hand in hand. (Oct.)

Barron, a pseudonym for thriller writer Francine Mathews, puts her talents for suspense to good use examining the death of Virginia Woolf from the vantage point of present-day England. The story begins when American Jo Bellamy sets out to study the White Garden at the estate of Virginia Woolf's lover, working for Long Island clients who want to recreate it. Her mission also has a personal component: figuring out why Jo's beloved grandfather, who worked at the garden as a youth, killed himself. After the head gardener passes Jo a journal he found in the tool shed, which may be Woolf's work, Jo embarks upon a wild tour of Woolf's old stomping grounds, tracking down answers and missing pages. While leaning on convenient stereotypes—the headstrong but clueless American; the femme fatale (with eyes like “liquid pools”); stuffy Brits—Barron invests the text with a quick pace and an absorbing plot, making this a dynamic thriller with a well-tempered literary fixation. (Oct.)

Foster's clumsy but ingratiating first novel is set in the “enchanting” little town of Avening, off the coast of British Columbia. Beyond its much-touted charm, Avening holds magical secrets, the most prominent being town witch Autumn. Autumn's bucolic lifestyle is interrupted when she finds out she's being admitted to a higher coven in an unknown location and that her first task is to find a replacement for herself among the women of the town. From there, readers meet a cast of offbeat women, each with her own special talents: shy Ellie, who can make herself invisible; middle-aged Stella, the local advice columnist, who is also a healer; and Molly, who has been hiding her preternatural gifts since she was a little girl. Unfortunately, Foster's attempts to charm and enchant are too heavy-handed and better suited to a YA offering, and her intriguing plot is subverted by wooden dialogue, predictability and an amateur approach to characters. (Oct.)

This second novel from Dutch author and director de Winter (Hoffman's Hunger) is a slick, entertaining import with the soul of an American thriller-fantasy. In the L.A. winter of 2000, Dutch screenwriter Joop Koopman meets with his childhood friend Philip van Gelder, an agent for Israel's Mossad. Using a lucrative script assignment as bait, Philip recruits Joop for an “undercover job” involving Omar van Lieshout, a suspected Dutch terrorist based in L.A. Meanwhile, Joop's only child, lovely 17-year-old Miriam, suffers severe brain trauma in a motorcycle accident. After Joop consents to have her taken off life support, he finds an unexpected confidante and comforter in the motorcycle driver, Erroll Washington (aka Godzilla), a bulky African-American who runs a karate gym in Venice, Calif. When Joop's distant cousin Linda (a onetime object of Joop's adolescent lust) shows up with a Tibetan monk, things get really strange, involving reincarnation and a secret Swiss bank account. Readers who don't mind swallowing their disbelief should find this imaginative caper propulsive. (Oct.)

Poet Baca's blistering novel takes to task the treatment of Mexican migrant workers in the US. When a young Mexican couple, Casimiro and Nopal, cross the border in 1984, their new life begins promisingly: they find work on a Texas farm and build a stable home for their two sons, Lorenzo and Vito. But before the boys reach adulthood, Nopal is murdered and her killer escapes. The family struggles to go on, with Lorenzo eventually taking over his father's farm duties and settling into domestic bliss with Carmen, a college student studying migrant workers. Vito's restless spirit leads him to fight in amateur boxing matches and to everyone's surprise, he shows a tantalizing level of talent and considers a serious fighting career. But even as the brothers find their own measures of success, they are haunted by the injustice of Nopal's murder. Interspersed with Lorenzo and Vito's lives are glimpses of Casimiro's youth and even Nopal's thoughts from the world beyond. A general sense of social and political unrest permeates the story, often to the point of distraction. But the sheer passion that drives Baca's novel is undeniable. (Oct.)

In this blood and guts tale of ancient warfare, Oxford lecturer Sidebottom introduces readers to Marcus Clodius Ballista, a third-century warrior who has risen through the ranks of the Roman army to achieve citizenship and the honorific of Dux Ripea. Charged by the emperors Valerian and Gallienus with the responsibility of defending the empire's eastern borders, Ballista says good-bye to his new wife and sets sail for the East. Once he arrives at the Syrian city of Arete on the banks of the Euphrates, Ballista organizes his legionaries to defend against the besieging Sassanid Persian army and hold out until reinforcements can arrive. In addition to having his hands full with the invading army, Ballista must also deal with traitors, saboteurs, assassins and patrician officers who resent obeying the orders of a low-born superior. How the brave and resourceful former barbarian defends himself from forces both within and without the city walls forms the spine of this action-packed and detail-rich narrative. This novel of sharp swords and blunt wit should find an appreciative audience among bloodthirsty battle boys of all ages. (Oct.)

Two immigrant brothers discover the truth about their German father's past in this masterly investigation of evil, resistance and guilt, billed as “the first Arab novel to confront the Holocaust.” Narrator Malrich, the younger son of a German father and an Algerian mother, lives with relatives in a gritty, mostly Arab housing estate outside Paris. Malrich is an indifferent hoodlum while his older brother, Rachel, has a university degree and a glamorous job at “a multinational.” The plot hinges on Malrich's reading of Rachel's diary after Rachel commits suicide. After their parents were murdered in Algeria in 1994, Rachel discovered that their father was a Waffen SS officer posted to the death camps. In alternating chapters, the story is perfectly rendered in Malrich's wonderfully adolescent voice and Rachel's increasingly agonized diary entries. All this plays out against Malrich's perceptive likening of Hitler's Germany to the rise of fundamentalist Islamism on his housing estate and his realization that he must take action against the “Nazi jihadist fuckers.” An absorbing and all too relevant novel for our times. (Oct.)

The expansion of the Christian horror genre, the proliferation of vampire lit and a couple of vampire precursors aimed at Christian readers make this Christian vampire hybrid inevitable; also inevitable will be comparisons to reigning vamp-lit queen Stephenie Meyer, starting with the book's cover. Nina Parker is a recovering alcoholic trying to put her life back together after an alcohol-fueled divorce and professional negligence as a veterinarian. Nina returns to her hometown to live with her sister, the town police chief, with her alienated teenage daughter, Meagan, in tow; the unfolding backstory of her youth explains her alcoholism. A mysterious and attractive neighbor of Nina's sister complicates the action, as do ritualistic deaths of people and animals. The novel has some technical problems: the narrative shifting of time and viewpoints could be clearer; ex-husband Hunt's point of view on the action is weak. The redemptive arc that evangelical Christian novels require is natural for a story of recovery; its full implications will surprise some readers and leave others unpersuaded. Despite some narrative flaws, Bateman has written a page-turner with a compelling vampire character that will set evangelical Christian readers talking. (Oct.)

Shreve (Testimony), who worked in Kenya as a journalist early in her career, returns to that country in her slow latest, the story of a photojournalist and her doctor husband, whose temporary relocation abroad goes sour. The year-long research trip is an opportunity for Patrick, but leaves Margaret floundering in colonialist culture shock, feeling like “an actor in a play someone British had written for a previous generation.” When a climbing trip to Mt. Kenya goes fatally wrong, Margaret's role in the tragedy drives a quiet wedge between the couple. Compounding those stressors are multiple robberies and adulterous temptations, as well as Margaret's freelance work for a “controversial” newspaper. Written in a strangely emotionless third person, the novel is stuffed with travelogues and vignettes of privileged expatriate life, including the chestnut of Margaret feeling very guilty about being given a rug she admires. While some of these moments aren't bad, the scant dramatic tension and direct-to-video plot make this a slog. (Sept.)

Introduced in Agatha-winner Hart's Ghost at Work (2008), the late Bailey Ruth Raeburn returns to earth on a heavenly mission to help a four-year-old orphan in this delightful sequel. Susan Flynn, the matriarch of one of the leading families of Adelaide, Okla., who's dying from congestive heart failure, discovers she has a grandson after Keith, the child of Susan's soldier son killed in Iraq, shows up at her door one day not long before Christmas. Susan's decision to change her will to leave her estate to Keith causes one of her many greedy relatives to ignore the message of the Christmas season. When murder and mayhem ensue, Hart's ghostly detective gets on the track of a clever killer. Bailey Ruth's pleasure in her earthly wardrobe, her keen observations of the other characters and her unorthodox but expert sleuthing will engage readers from start to finish. Hart is also the author of the Death on Demand series (Dare to Die, etc.). (Nov.)

When Ph.D. student Marion Summers collapses and dies in the London Library in the excellent ninth entry in Maitland's series featuring Kathy Kolla, newly promoted to detective inspector, and Det. Chief Insp. David Brock (Spider Trap, etc.), everyone assumes her diabetes is to blame. But when arsenic is discovered in Summers's system, Kolla takes charge of her first investigation. As part of her thesis, Summers was researching the 19th-century avant-garde painters and poets known as the Pre-Raphaelites. Summers had recently become obsessed with poisons, particularly arsenic, and her theories concerning its role in the lives of the Pre-Raphaelites had caused tensions among her academic peers. With Brock's help, Kolla digs deeper into the young woman's life and uncovers an unsettling past and numerous suspects who may have wished her harm. Maitland crafts a suspenseful whodunit with enough twists and turns to keep even the sharpest readers on their toes. (Oct.)

Despite a tepid plot and flat characters, this contemporary police procedural from prolific British author Ashford (Illegal Guilt) nicely illustrates the difficulty of interpreting circumstantial evidence. Imperious Australian Fiona Ross demands that the Carnford police locate her good friend, Gillian Harvey. When Ross paid a call on Gillian and found her not at home, Gillian's dairy farmer husband, Tom, said Gillian was gone and he had no idea where. Ross suspects Tom, with whom Gillian was having difficulties, has done her in. Initial, cautious inquiries lead to detailed and pointed investigations and interrogations. Wealth (hers), unfaithfulness (his), a pawned ring and Gillian's continued absence all point to foul play. The members of the ragged police force, nominally led by Detective Chief Superintendent Kirby, plod toward the elusive truth. Ashford, as Roderic Jeffries, is the author of the Inspector Alvarez series (Sun, Sea, Murder, etc.). (Oct.)

Westerson's second medieval mystery to feature former English knight Crispin Guest (after 2008's Veil of Lies) works better as a suspense novel than as a whodunit. Implicated in a plot against Richard II, the disgraced Guest (aka “the Tracker”) has reinvented himself as an investigator for hire, with both private and public clients. One day in 1384, Grayce, a simpleminded scullion, seeks Guest's help because there's a dead man in her room at the King's Head Inn in Southwark. Grayce claims she killed the man, who turns out to have been a French courier bearing a gift for the English king—the legendary Crown of Thorns, rumored to have been worn by Jesus and to have the ability to confer special powers on its wearer. The Tracker soon finds himself in a political tempest. Westerson's mix of period terms and American tough-guy prose—at one point an archer asks the detective, “Didn't you use to be somebody?”—may grate on the ears of some historical fans. (Oct.)

In Ebisch's thoughtful third Marcie Ducasse puzzler (after 2008's Grave Justice), the intrepid assistant editor of Roaming New England Magazine looks into a smalltown coverup of a sadistic multiple murder. Seldon Hayes of Doric, Vt., sends Marcie a tip for her “Weird Happenings” column about the ghosts of three unpopular young men who were found hanged in his barn in 1944. Sel wants big money to share the scoop on the killer's identity. Marcie's paltry offer leads Sel to another buyer, but Sel's soon strung up in the same “devil's spot” where the apparitions appear. Marcie pools resources with Kevin Murray, a cute stringer for a Montpelier, Vt., newspaper, to crack both cases. Doric's police chief, Pat Roylston, resents their interference in his investigation. Sel's legal executor, Steve McDermott, helps Marcie and Kevin locate evidence as the cozy action builds to shocking revelations and a haunting twist. (Oct.)

In this sequel to Zelvin's 2008 debut, Death Will Get You Sober, the psychotherapist author fails to match the empathetic portrait of her recovering alcoholic hero, reluctant sleuth Bruce Kohler, with a captivating whodunit. New Yorker Kohler, who's been sober for almost 10 months, gets dragged into a murder investigation after drug dealer Frankie Iacone is stabbed to death in the apartment of an alcoholic, Luz, whose sponsor is Kohler's best friend's girlfriend. Since the police regard Luz as the obvious suspect, Kohler and his pals decide to try to find the real killer. Their amateurish inquiries into Iacone's drug dealing soon land them in hot water. Zelvin does a good job depicting Kohler's internal struggles, especially his ambivalence toward his ex-wife, Laura Dare, who alternates between coming on to him and blowing him off while subjecting him to late-night phone calls threatening suicide. Still, some readers might wish for more psychological depth in the Dare sections. (Oct.)

Readers who can concentrate on the plot and ignore the author's tendency to slap on the angst with a trowel will enjoy Cox's second novel to feature Det. Sgt. Matt Arnold of Scotland Yard (after Feb. 2009's Blood Is Thicker). The police initially disregard an overwrought wife's report that her husband is missing, but the man's body soon turns up in a London park, mutilated in a way that links it to a similar murder. Matt is under extreme pressure, from his bosses and the press, to stop the serial killer—while glimpses inside the murderer's mind reveal that the ghastly executions have just begun. Meanwhile, Matt is alienated from his wife, Jo, because of his fanatical devotion to his job, and their son is in a coma after being struck by a hit-and-run driver. Cox, herself a London police officer, effectively builds tension by moving from one character to another, revealing vital information just out of Matt's reach. (Oct.)

Two mysteries preoccupy Joe Gunther in Mayor's engaging 20th novel to feature the Vermont Bureau of Investigation police detective (after 2008's The Catch). When the body of 32-year-old Wayne Castine, “stabbed a bunch of times, and maybe shot and beaten,” turns up in an amateur prostitute's apartment in Brattleboro, Vt., Gunther and his team investigate. Evidence suggests Castine, who had a relationship with a colorful trailer park family, was a pedophile or even a psychopath. Meanwhile, new information surfaces about Gunther's girlfriend Lyn Silva's father and brother, who vanished in a boat off the New England coast. Silva's investigation into her family members' disappearance distracts Gunther from the homicide inquiry. While some readers may find the shifts between the two cases jarring, Mayor manages to keep the suspense building and the reader guessing until the end. Series fans will appreciate the local cultural insights and the authentic cop lingo. (Oct.)

Last seen in A Hard Light (1997), documentary filmmaker Maggie MacGowen struggles to honor the final request of her late husband, LAPD Det. Mike Flint, to solve a particularly frustrating cold case, in Edgar-winner Hornsby's sixth Maggie MacGowen mystery. Jesús Ramón, a young gang member who was one of Mike's informants, disappeared after leaving Mike's car in 1999. Despite Mike's best efforts, he was never able to determine what happened to Jesús. Inheriting Mike's personal files and using Mike's many friends as well as her own resources, Maggie treats this cold case as one of her own investigative reports. Though Mike's former colleagues appear eager to help, they also warn her to “watch six” (watch her back). Hornsby handles the diversity of cultures—gangs, barrios, homeless, cops, filmmaking—adeptly as Maggie's probing stirs up a toxic residue of unsolved killings that again proves fatal. It's good to see Maggie back in action. (Sept.)

Edwardson's middling fourth police procedural to be made available in the U.S. (after 2007's Frozen Tracks) lacks the sophisticated plot and characters that mark the work of such other Swedish crime authors as Helene Tursten and Stieg Larsson. Chief Insp. Erik Winter joins forces with his British counterparts after a series of brutal murders of young men in London and his own city of Gothenburg. The killer, dubbed Hitchcock, appears to have filmed the butchery, as evidenced by traces of a tripod stand in the victims' blood. The trail naturally leads into the seamy world of snuff films, but the big break comes from a burglar who noticed some blood-stained clothing in an apartment he broke into. The smooth translation is perhaps the book's best feature. Edwardson has won the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers' Award three times. (Sept. 29)

Shephard's epic gets off to a slow start as feisty bladeswoman Sasha, her master, her princely brothers and Jaryd, a local heir, lecture one another about religious differences amid a hodgepodge of names and invented terms. Jaryd saves Sasha from treachery after a fight, and the consequences accelerate toward war between the overlord Hadryn and the common Udalyn. Soon Sasha finds herself at the head of an army, facing her honest but deeply conflicted father. Rumors of war outside the kingdom point to larger conflicts down the road. Sasha is young, impetuous and contradictory, but impassioned about doing the right thing if she can figure out what it is. Once Shepherd (the Cassandra Kresnov series) finds his stride, the second half of the book crackles with intriguing characters, witty banter and vivid, realistic battles, leaving readers optimistic about the planned sequels. (Oct.)

Inclán (Believe in Me) fails to successfully develop an intriguing concept in this disappointing romantic fantasy. The Cygirians, their home planet destroyed by cruel Neballats, live in exile on Upsilia while struggling to rebuild their culture and rescue their scattered people. Cygirians can only use their psychic powers when paired with a Twin, a spouse and teammate whose psychic ability balances theirs. Reluctant leader Edan Mirav and former prisoner Ava Arganos discover each other after resigning themselves to living Twinless. Once paired, they unite to rescue their people, but Neballats use mind control to force them into betrayal instead. Inclán's refreshingly light hand with romance becomes limp in key scenes, muting conflict and leaving characters flat while piling too much backstory into meandering meditations. (Oct.)

“Scientific entrepreneur” Norville plays with the persistently intriguing notion of time travel in this odd, strangely likable first novel. Physicist Greg Philips wants to return to his teen years to avert a tragedy, but he soon realizes how difficult it is to reshape the past, especially while being menaced by intimidating agents from the future who want to prevent diverging time lines. Hooking up with his shapely high school science teacher, Greg looks for a safe time where they can settle, but the thuggish director of the National Time and Space Agency will torture and murder anyone who helps Greg stay free. After a bizarre setup, the story turns into a rather entertaining, unpredictable thriller with a herky-jerky plot that matches Greg's erratic flight. Norville's vigor and cleverness compensate for his obvious lack of professional polish. (Oct.)

At a Delaware university in 1993, geeky folklore student Ted took out a nest of vampires with an axe and a Zippo, saving hot lesbian coed Laura. A decade later, he's still haunted by his supernatural experience, living off the hush money from the university while working as a barista and stalking Laura, now an FBI agent. When Ted learns of a racist cult plotting to bring back the Old Ones, the two friends investigate, and some supernatural shenanigans and carnage ensue. Cooper's characters verge on the whiny and adolescent, but the Lovecraft jibes never quite wear thin. Diehard fans of the short story “Call of Cthulhu” might not like the unflattering picture of their idol, but those with a passing familiarity will find the pages turning swiftly thanks to the silly action. (Oct.)

Nipped by a wolf during an Arctic camping expedition, Cheyenne Clark suddenly finds herself feeling ferally frisky when the moon is up in Wellington's far from routine werewolf tale. It turns out that Monty Powell, the loner who gives Chey refuge, is no ordinary guy, but the werewolf who turned her. But then Chey is no ordinary camper: she was sent to draw Monty out by a band of professional hunters who want the oil beneath the vast acreage Monty prowls—and to avenge the death of her father, whom Monty coincidentally slaughtered two decades before. Wellington (23 Hours) gets surprising mileage out of this tortuously improbable plot, hinging it on Chey's difficulty choosing between the gun-toting human mercenaries who are using her as bait and Monty, a victim of supernatural circumstances who understands her plight better than anyone else. (Oct.)

This stellar anthology features 22 original stories set in the far future of Grand Master Jack Vance's 1950 classic The Dying Earth, wherein sorcerers, rogues and demons squabble for power beneath the waning light of a bloated red sun. Some of the field's most talented writers successfully adopt Vance's convoluted style, ironic dialogue and amoral protagonists, as in Dan Simmons's epic novella “The Guiding Nose of Ulfänt Banderoz,” which relates the desperate quest of Shrue the diabolist to find a dead wizard's Ultimate Library, and Liz Williams's excellent “Caulk the Witch-chaser,” concerning a minor wizard forced to ally himself with his quarry. Exquisitely illustrated by Tom Kidd, these are tales to savor and a fitting tribute to one of the field's finest authors. (Oct.)

Master alternate historian Turtledove stumbles with his third novel set in a parallel Bronze Age. Picking up shortly after the events of 2008's The Breath of God, the book continues the exploits of Count Hamnet Thyssen and his allies as they struggle to defeat the mammoth-mounted Riders, who are aided by powerful wizards. The count's ace in the hole is Marcovefa, a cannibal and shaman whose magic enables his forces to hold their own. The skirmishes with the enemy and the quest for a legendary Golden Shrine that holds promise for repairing their world form the bulk of the plot. Anachronistic word choices (“You say the sweetest things, darling”) consistently undercut suspension of disbelief, and while the imagined universe is accessible to newcomers, there's little to make readers rush out and read the earlier or future books. (Oct.)

Smalltime con artist Walter Harsh is lured into international intrigue in this old-fashioned pulp thriller from the creator of Doc Savage. A mysterious man known only as Mr. Brother recruits Harsh and his girlfriend and sidekick, Vera Sue Crosby, into a complex scam involving a South American strongman's beautiful former mistress, a corrupt physician and an Arab financial mastermind. As the plotters await political chaos and the Peron-like dictator's flight from his country, Harsh prepares to impersonate the dictator as part of an embezzlement plot beyond his wildest imaginings. Originally written in 1956, Dent's story suffers from both an unlikely “identical strangers” premise and the casual sexism of its era, but the elaborate twists of the caper effectively draw the reader into a hard-boiled, violent and authentically gritty tale in the best pulp style. (Oct.)

This ambitious, complicated saga from Australian author Chambers explores love, loss and freedom against the backdrop of WWII in Southeast Asia. British doctor Lexi Robinson and her Australian soldier husband, John Drayton Whitby, cling to an old way of life in 1940s Hong Kong as the Japanese threaten to invade. Lexi's unexpected run-in with an American spy rekindles the passion they shared long ago; Lexi's childhood friend Kathleen discovers a devastating secret about her own past; and John begins to understand himself and his feelings. The dramatic depictions of war-torn locales are undermined by Chambers's clumsy handling of historically accurate racism (“The Australian soldiers referred affectionately to their New Guinea native allies as Fuzzy Wuzzys because of their tight crimped curly hair”), and her impressive research fails to rescue the story from lackluster characters and absurd twists of fate. (Oct.)

Watson (A Dark Day for a White Wedding) launches a flavorful cozy mystery series about Tallulah Jones, who struggles to keep her ice cream parlor afloat while dealing with the failure of her 17-year marriage to smarmy entrepreneur Wayne Jones. Swallowing her pride, Tally caters dessert at Wayne's annual luau, but his trashy girlfriend, Brittanie, keels over from poison in specially marked containers of ice cream sauce. Determined to clear her name, Tally probes the gossipy social circles of Dalliance, Tex., where it seems everyone had a reason to hate Brittanie. The return to town of newspaper reporter Finn Harper, the high school flame Tally once dumped for Wayne, only complicates the situation. This lighthearted peek into smalltown secrets and rumors carries enough good humor, emotional honesty, plot twists and recipes to entertain and satisfy. (Oct.)

White-Owens spins off an old-fashioned romance from 2007's The Way You Aren't. Some 25 years ago, five-year-old Adam Carlyle proposed to his 18-year-old babysitter, Wynn Evans. When handsome 30-year-old Adam encounters Wynn again, she's a curvy divorcée with two small sons, and their attraction is instantaneous. “Raise them the way you want them,” jokes Wynn's best friend, but Wynn's bitter divorce has left her reluctant to date, and the middle of the book presents a steady parade of disapproving, often vicious exes and relatives as Adam and Wynn get more intimate. Just as Wynn begins to have doubts about the future of their relationship, a shocking event occurs that would test the strongest couple. Powerful chemistry and appealing characters help to counteract the extremely linear plot and piles of clichés. (Oct.)

Italian artist and author Dino Buzzati imagines a modern graphic novel version of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. In Buzzati's version, set in Milan, a singer called Orfi mourns his lover, Eura, and tracks her to the afterlife. Through a dreamscape made up of bordellos, train stations and a soulless Soviet-like bureaucracy, the singer searches for his lover while being schooled in the ways of the dead. The heartbreaking ending opens as many questions as it answers. Throughout, Buzzati, who died in 1972, offers a sumptuous meditation on the ways in which death gives life meaning, focusing on the sensations of music, sex and, paradoxically, mourning. Poem Strip was originally published in Italy in 1969. The text might have lost some of its lyricism in the translation from the Italian, as it occasionally seems stiff. The artwork retains its bold, sensual power, however. Although its psychedelic palette points to its '60s creation, the images are still strikingly modern and erotic. (Oct.)

In an eerie postapocalyptic urban world, humanity is turning on itself. This graphic novel revolves around a trio who were likely downtown hipsters before the crisis began. Welton, a musician, and Aaron, an author, still have the energy to discuss the purpose of art, but find themselves committing unpardonable acts to save themselves. Exley, an actress, unexpectedly ends up caring for Horlick, a young boy who is teetering between playing childish pranks and becoming a menacing criminal like his older brother. All three adults reminisce about previous loves, and one tries to seek out a passionate one-night stand from the past. Rapp, best known as a novelist and playwright, reflects on the ways we cling to art and passion in the face of destruction and the horror we feel as those things slip away. His story can be thought provoking, although at times his plotting and metaphors—and the unrelenting grimness of the story—feel heavy-handed. O'Connor's sinister, stunning artwork, with rich coloring by Hilary Sycamore, helps propel the story and, in the end, is the most haunting aspect of the book. (Oct.)

In this profound and moving memoir, Small, an award-winning children's book illustrator, uses his drawings to depict the consciousness of a young boy. The story starts when the narrator is six years old and follows him into adulthood, with most of the story spent during his early adolescence. The youngest member of a silent and unhappy family, David is subjected to repeated x-rays to monitor sinus problems. When he develops cancer as a result of this procedure, he is operated on without being told what is wrong with him. The operation results in the loss of his voice, cutting him off even further from the world around him. Small's black and white pen and ink drawings are endlessly perceptive as they portray the layering of dream and imagination onto the real-life experiences of the young boy. Small's intuitive morphing of images, as with the terrible postsurgery scar on the main character's throat that becomes a dark staircase climbed by his mother, provide deep emotional echoes. Some understanding is gained as family secrets are unearthed, but for the most part David fends for himself in a family that is uncommunicative to a truly ghastly degree. Small tells his story with haunting subtlety and power. (Sept.)

Every good epic not only deserves but needs a prequel. So Jeff Smith's Bone, one of the great graphic novel epics, gets a teasing look at what happened in that magic realm before the series started in earnest. Opening with a Nordic saga-like origin myth about how the dragon queen Mim was driven mad by the lord of the Locusts and buried in stone to protect the world, Rose shifts into a traditional fantasy melodrama about two princesses. Rose is the more beloved, headstrong and inattentive to her lessons about how to control her powerful ability to magically dream. Her sister, Briar, is a darker soul, ambitious and resentful of the attention directed at Rose. When the two are called to their final tests in the danger-fogged mountains of the Northern Valley, they are soon launched into a fiery cauldron of betrayal and battles—all of it witnessed by the dolorous, mournful eyes of the Great Red Dragon. Vess's dramatic, detailed illustrations remain powerful, but feel cramped by the small trim size. Smith's tart writing easily weaves humor and tension into a tale packed with lessons on politics and morality. (Aug.)