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MBR Bookwatch

Volume 2, Number 5 May 2003 Home | MBW Index

Table of Contents

Kaveny's Bookshelf Bogstad's Bookshelf Shelley's Bookshelf

Cindy Penn's Bookshelf Klausner's Bookshelf Laurel's Bookshelf

Shirley's Bookshelf

Kaveny's Bookshelf
As I write this months Kaveny's Book shelf I feel the old war horse that was ridden hard all day and "put away wet" I was going to take off a month from Kaveny's Bookshelf and get this all down pat, but as my editor and chief James Andrew Cox knows I have journalist's blood running in my veins, and old news is about as interesting as three day old pizza. Besides I want him to know how well the Midwest Book Review is thought of in all of the venues which I appeared. In the last five weeks my wife Dr. Janice Marie Bogstad and I have logged over 4000's miles attending and participated in five separate events two international conferences on the arts two science fiction conventions and a library conference , and in the process traveled to Florida Illinois Wisconsin and Minnesota.

It started out slowly as we attended and presented papers at the International Conference on The Fantastic and The Arts in Ft Lauderdale Florida March 19th- 21st. This year there was no magic in the conference for me, partly I think because I was a little tired of presenting papers on Tolkien, but also because I missed seeing several of my dear friends who did not make it this year. Nevertheless I did garner a paid writing assignment to review an important book for the New York Review of Science Fiction (and to its editor Kevin by the time you are reading this I will have started on the article.)

But as my wife was checking her email in Florida she found that we had received and all expense paid invitation to participate in the AFTER MODERNISM AND POSTMODERNISM: NEW DIRECTIONS IN THE ARTS" conference in La Salle, Illinois Sponsored Hegeler-Carus Foundation and the generosity of its chairman Blouke Carus March 28th -March 30th. This meant we would be back on the road again with an unplanned trip almost directly after we returned from Florida

At Midway Airport in Chicago we met three other attendees one flying in from D.C and two from New York. As we started chatting and mentioning our affiliations. I told Michelle Kamhi and Louis Torres authors of

What Art Is: The Esthetic Theory of Ayn Rand
539 pages
Open Court Publishing Company
ISBN: 0812693728 $44.95

I mentioned that among our other affiliations Jan Bogs that and I represented The Midwest Book Review as Literary and International editors. Michelle and Paul were quite familiar with the Midwest Book Review, and extended the thanks for the positive notice it had given their work. For more information about Paul and Michelle I recommend you go to their website http://www.aristos.org/ and check out An Online Review edited by Louis Torres & Michelle Marder Kamhi.

The conference was very intense and my memories of it are highly visual. It took place in a 140-year-old mansion that is absolutely steeped in intellectual historicity and sense of place. For example I noticed a letter displayed on the wall of one of the drawing rooms from perhaps the greatest American mind of the 19th century Charles Saunders Pierce 1847-1914. So, I asked Sherwood Sugden Hegeler Institute, Managing Editor of the Monist Magazine what Charles Saunders Pierce's relation was to the Carus family and the very building we were holding the conference. Sherwood laughed sort of like a leprechaun and said, ? In the early 1900?s pierce spent a year and a half in the attic of this very building hiding out from his creditors. That's when I new I was in the right place.

Sherwood was also kind enough to let me chose a complementary issue of The Monist An international Journal of General Philosophical Inquiry. I chose April; 1988, Volume 71, Number. The issue focused on the general topic of Aesthetics and the Histories of the arts. which I have now read passionately from cover to cover. All the articles were thought provoking but J. Wilmore's Paradigms and Master pieces Rationality in Art and Science pp 171- 182 was the best article of its type I have ever read (even if it took me fifteen years to find it. You should check out the Monist Website http://www.nlx.com/Journals/mst.htm. In fact the aforementioned experience brings up an issue with me that arose when I returned to graduate school. Not to long ago (in the late 1990?s) I ran afoul with the authorities in my graduate program at The University of Wisconsin Madison in Library and information studies when I suggested that my advisor and one of her favorites who had written an article which had totally misunderstood the information seeking behaviors of humanities scholars. Now just a handful of years later I am sure that they misunderstood that role, based on my experience and interaction with other scholars. To put it simply we can find our own primary documents to do our research, we already know where the archives and repositories are. What we need help with is finding out what each other are doing in an interdisciplinary sense, so that we do not waste lifetimes duplicating each other's work. I wish I had time to cover all the things that took place at the conference but I fear some of this will have to wait until next month, but at least mention some more high points. My Friend of a Lifetime since my undergraduate days at University of Wisconsin Madison Dr. Jared Lobdell presented a chapter from his forth-coming book on Fantasy in the 21st Century which I had the opportunity to respond to. Dr. Janice Bogstad presented her ongoing work on genre theory literary at a moments notice. Her paper was well received and certainly generated a very stimulating dialogue among her questioners. However this was not simply a literary conference as it also covered a wide range of other arts including poetry music, painting architecture, philosophy. It also included performances by two working poets who read from their work Dr. Paul Lake and Dr Frederic Turner. Both of these presenters argue that structure was inherent in language and were reflected organically in poetry, and that the classical poetical forms did in fact have an inherent logic to them. I don't know that I accept this but at least I will be learning the forms; perhaps as chess player might study an international grandmasters games to see if any of the concepts generalize. .

I see now that time is running short and my deadline looms near so I going to leave the rest of the conference material and the two science fiction conventions until next month and do one single review of an art book which has just riveted my attention over that last several days.

John Rawlings: 30 Years in Vogue
Kohle Yohannan, Charles Dare, Jr. Scheips (Introduction)
225 pages
Arena Editions
ISBN: 1892041383 Price $60.00.

This collection of the work of Vogue Magazine photographer John Rawlings (1912-70) is one of the most compelling art books I have ever acquires. It is more of a time capsule than an art book, and yet time capsule is not the right word for it. Better to say it is a it is a time travel machine that takes you across the second third of the 20th century in a blaze of high fashion intensity of colors textures and the images of almost Olympian beautiful women who are presented with a intensity and taste which demolishes down the barriers between high and commercial art, and transcends the dichotomy between art and illustration.

Yes I know these are strong words of praise for any art book but if you have held it in your hands as I have and paged through it slowly as you read the accompanying text you I am sure would share my feelings, because among other things it celebrates rather than degrades the human form in the section dawn his 100 studies of the (nude female) figure. The 11,000 negative personal archive contains John Rawlings work from 1936-1966 was only recently discovered and was then presented in this wonderful book.

As I think about this book represented a direction that photography might have taken in the last third of the 20th century but did not. One of the very interesting aspects of the photographs is that the seem to move with the times and perhaps ever come alive with the time.

Actually as I think about this it brings to mind on of the other presentations at the AFTER MODERNISM conference by Dr. Paul Kantor (Who has also written a book on Buffy The Vampire Slayer), who suggests that the separation between high art and conference is really which has characterized much of this century is real a false dichotomy which was created by such writers James Joyce, Ezra Pound and even James Joyce, who really sought to direct there work to kind of new form of aristocratic patronage, but in the process set the bar for excellence for several generations of English Departments.

One sees a certain perversion and assaultive nature to the non-journalistic photograph of a Robert Mapplethorpe for example that is characterized by many as high art. Perhaps given the horrific nature of much of the 20th century this understandable---yet I think the gesture of assault quickly numbs the senses.

One or two last interesting I want to say about this book. 50 years from now a book like this would not be possible for a contemporary photographer, since photographs are now almost entirely stored as a digital medium on memory disks which we all now will last as long as fiver years or forever which ever comes first. The second is that this is a book to own because it will not survive a week in a public or academic library, because the morons with razors will cut out al the pictures. In the next few years this will become a very rare and expensive book so get your own copy now.

Philip E. Kaveny Literary Editor Midwest Book Review.

Bogstad's Bookshelf
Janice M. Bogstad reviews a few SF (Science Fiction and Science Fantasy) Titles by: Michael Flynn, Leo Frankowski, Nancy Kress, Robert Sawyer, Charles Sheffield, and Liz Williams

Resurgence
Charles Sheffield
Baen Books
$24.00 ISBN 0-7434-3567-2

This most recent book in the Heritage Universe series continues an exposition on Builder Artifacts and philosophy circa 6200 ad. with travel to an entirely different galaxy, in the Sagittarius Arm. The recurrent heroes of the series, idealist Hans Rebka, Builder expert Darya Lang, the adventurer Louis Nenda and his alien entourage, the Cercopian Atvar H'sial, and two alien slaves, and the embodied computer (with a new body), E. Crimson Tally, are joined by survival experts and a secretive administrator, Julian Graves, for a seeming voyage of mercy. They begin their travels together, with lots of opportunity for Hans and Louis to express their rivalry for Darya Lang's sexual favors and for other crewmembers to express their mutual dislike in a series of lamely comical exchanges. Then, as they approach their objective, diverted first to a confusingly non-solid planetary object, they split up to maximize the adventures and provide alternately, high adventure for and low comedy. Darya and Hans take two survival experts and go off to explore the object. After losing their ship and one of the 'survivors', they travel through a small alien transition gate to the already dying planet of Marglot. Louis, Atvar, their slaves and two other survivalists stop at Pleasureworld to pick up an expert pilot, another alien, Claudius, who is even more scapegrace than Louis Nenda. Their attempts to trick each other out of imagined profits from this venture provide barely successful comedic facets to a very disjunctive story. Finally, E. Tally goes off on his own. Mysterious, they end up in the same place and thus conclude that the Builder's need their help.

This novel finally undercuts the omnipotence of the Builders whose magnificent artifacts dominated the adventurers in earlier novels. However, the multiple perspectives and plot-leaps fragment the hard-science gestures, believable adventure and character development. This novel will appeal especially to Sheffield devotees especially who feel compelled to finish a series that they've started. It also carries on Sheffield's tradition of multifaceted plots and exploration of characters' personalities under duress.

Conrad's Time Machine: A Prequel to the Adventures of Conrad Stargard
Leo Frankowski
Baen Books
$24.00 (352p) ISBN: 0-7434-3557-5

Over the past five years, stories of a small number of socially immature male engineers have amused many readers in the ongoing series which began with Cross Time Engineer. This book was written as a prequel to the series. The narrative roughly explains the origin of the time machine central to the other novels. Tom Kolczyskrensi, the first-person narrator, describes how the three learned how to create a time machine and amassed the financial wherewithal to develop it. His story begins as he leaves the military in 1968 and hooks up with two old college friends (he dropped out). Jim Hasenpfeffer, who is about to get his doctorate in Behavioral Psychology and Ian McTavish, (BS, Mechanical Engineering) is working for General Motors. During a motorcycle vacation, the three encounter a massive 'implosion', which just happens to send out one intact piece of paper with electrical schematics and lots of bits of humans. This sets them on the way to many discoveries that provide wealth, health and unlimited sex with hosts of compliant, beautiful, young women, the narration of which occupies more than a third of the novel. The beginning of the novel chronologically postdates the end, serving up the conventional time-travel paradoxes as well as most of the authors literary flaws.

This is not a well-written or well-plotted book. The prose is wooden, repetitive, predictable, and often boring. The work is loosely plotted and seems to be designed as one long adolescent (and not particularly well-developed at that), sexual fantasy where all but a few characters are literally not full human beings (and this especially applies to Female characters). There is little I can recommend about the book. It is much the worst Frankowski I've read, and he is not known for high quality work. I assume this was published because his other books have a following, but he admits he started this one when he was 16 and it can only have gotten worse.

The only thing to recommend it is that the main characters are not sadistic. There's no overt torture, despite the treatment of many characters as if people were little more than useful conveniences. The only readers for this book, in my opinion, are Frankowski enthusiasts who want to see where he started. He has not improved on the story that he tells us he began as a high school student in the 1950s (Forward). Thus it will be of interest to readers of his other books, but will probably not attract new readers.

The Wreck of the River of Stars
Michael Flynn
Tor Books
$27.95 (480 p.) ISBN: 0-765-30099-0.

While trading in Middle System out past Jupiter, the aging craft, The River of Stars, is plagued by a tragedy of errors. For years, she's courted crisis, surviving on a shoestring budget, minimal supplies and equipment, carrying whatever cargo and passengers are to be had. Captain Hand has assembled a crew of misfits introduced first by their work designations. This is largely a novel of character. Ship's ghosts, human and otherwise, also play a central role. Hand is soon one of the ghosts, joining the list of dead mates and enemies and the long lost years of elegant travel under the outdated 'magnetic sails' of the ship's 'glory days'. A series of technical failures might be overcome or prevented by a functional crew. Instead nostalgia and personal triumphs or failures from the past control their actions. Previously managed by Hand, the crew's flaws are destructive under his successor, the self-absorbed First Officer Gorgas. Two of the four 'new' Farnsworth engines malfunction and there is barely enough time, material or people to repair them. Precious resources are cannibalized in an ill-conceived attempt to also 'resurrect' the magnetic sails. The ships navigational systems can't account for the sails, resulting in costly course corrections. Flynn layers the personalities and disasters in this complicated story with his usual attention to detail. One can find the precise, if understated, point at which this or that tragedy could have been avoided and who was at fault. Finally, it is inevitable that no one is making reasonable decisions. The sum is a sad but fascinating series of character studies and explosive (literally) group dynamics in an arena where technology is critical to human life.

Flynn is a very accomplished writer, capable of creating both a detailed and a fast-paced story. This book includes many technological references, both to 'future' technologies provided in very realistic detail and to the science behind them. There are many mysteries about characters, their relationships past and present, the physical sources of disasters and the crews' many oversights and errors. But each of these is eventually 'tied up' with an explanation that emerges usually in a conversation about something else. For example, we find out why the cable on the magnetic sail was cut by engineer Bhatterji several chapters after it has killed another unsuspecting crewmember. And like many other tragedies in this story it is the result of inattention and lack of communication rather than outright maliciousness. Each of the characters is fascinating as a study of fortitude but also of self-destructive tendencies. In fact, this is one of the best pictures of 'office politics' gone awry that I've read in a long time. The infighting and blind spots are so typical of many human organizations that most readers will experience a little deja-vu, despite the alternative time-space of the actual events. The mysteries keep the reader's attention as much as the technical details of the ship's history and problems. On the other hand, while the work as a whole is very enjoyable, parts of it are dragged down by details of character development and the novel shows some evidence of sloppy editing, for example, the extremely colloquial phrase, 'isn't in it' or 'wasn't in it' appears far too often. The work will appeal to the more cerebral end of the SF reading community, as it's little action-adventure and lots of character analysis.

Crossfire
Nancy Kress
Tor Books
364 p. $24.95 ISBN: 0765304678

This novel of adventure, alien first-contact and planetary colonization is also one of philosophical speculation. Mira Corporation, founded by Jake Holman, expedition leader for 6000 private citizens in flight from earth's troubles, has as its purpose their transport to the uninhabited planet Greentrees. In the course of this story, the author quotes modern physics, biological, social, medical, and psychological theory, and major philosophical systems, although Libertarianism and Quakerism are given privileged treatment through the voices of Jake and the leader of 2000 Quakers, Shipley. Characteristic Kress features abound in this novel, including reflections on fraught relationships between parents and children, although here the child is an adult, people who do bad things for good reasons, a story with great breadth, and the introduction of social issues of contemporary import. While the 7.6-year trip takes up two chapters and introduces most of the featured players, the other 30 chapters chronicle a range of personal and social responses to crises, each based on ideals. Clashing ideals are central to the dilemma created by contact with the first two alien races known to humans. The first of these, eventually called Furs, who are DNA-based humanoids already on the planet and the second, Vines, are sentient plants who arrive later, and for whom the Furs are deadly enemies of longstanding. Humanity is caught in the crossfire as members of the colonies' leadership initially take different sides between Furs and Vines, including Shipley whose Quaker ideals put him in sympathy with the Vines, and his estranged daughter, Naomi, who sides with the Furs as victims of Vine bioengineering. While each philosophy seems to work in some situations, the only one that saves the humans is enlightened self-interest. This also puts them on the Vines' team, as both work to survive the rapaciousness of the Furs star-faring civilization. This novel is a satisfying thought experiment in science and philosophy as well as a narrative of bravery, travel, adventure and personal and social crisis.

The story is a little slow moving at the beginning. It didn't really catch my attention until halfway through Chapter 7, which begins on p. 75. This may have occurred as the focus of the novel's beginning is character and setting establishment but it's not really up to Kress' usual writerly standards. Her prose is usually much more lyrical and engaging and her characters a little less 'stock' than in this particular work. Her novel also ends without an ending, which many readers are going to find annoying, whether or not there is a planned sequel. I would not rate this as one of Kress' best books even if I would rate it well above the writing of the majority of SF and fantasy authors (regardless of gender).

Calculating God
Robert J. Sawyer
Tor Books
334 pages $23.95 ISBN: 0-312-86713-1

Sawyer's tortured hero in Calculating God provides the hungering reader with self-searching moral and philosophical speculation, as well-as solidly grounded scientific theory that characterizes good hard-science science fiction. The plot centers around alien first-contact, but this time, the aliens, two varieties, have come to earth to add evidence to their proof of the existence of god and it is to the paleontologists that they appear first. This forms a bit of luck for an otherwise downtrodden Thomas Jericho, head paleontologist at the Royal Ontario Natural History museum in Toronto. At the time he meets the first alien, Hollus, a big sphere with multiple, multi-function legs, he is working for a museum director who does not accept his 'educational' view of a museum's function and he is dying of cancer. His status is immensely increased and he is given a chance to see the galaxy before he dies because Hollus is on 'his' side of the fight for the preservation of real scientific information in museums instead of media-hype types of productions.

Now I am not a great fan of science fiction as a religious argument, but I have to agree whole-heartedly with Thomas' position of a number if issues, most especially on the lamentable direction, which natural history museums seem to be taking. The majesty, scope, philosophical depth, and yes, even the tantalizing mystery of science is being leached out of museums, replaced by the representation of knowledge as if it were sound bites and simple tricks. At the last world science-fiction convention, I was pleased to accompany some friends and their two boys (7 and 10), to the Chicago Natural History Museum. I have loved this museum passionately since my first visits as a child (hard to arrange, because we lived 7 hours away in Northern Wisconsin and my family had lots of kids and never had much money). I LOVE the dinosaurs and the dinosaur murals and the dioramas of the geologic ages, but guess what? They're mostly gone, replaced by simple 'manipulables' advertised by geologic history videos which make geology seem like a television news program. They're hideous. The kids battle with each other to play with the toys and mostly end up getting in fights and certainly don't learn anything from it. This tragic management position is reflected in Calculating God, and its long-term effects on knowledge-horizons of children are explored.

So Sawyer's book, which united geology and cosmology, was a refreshing glimpse of what we have lost in our public pursuit of glitz over knowledge. It doesn't hurt that the aliens are 'really' alien, that there is a cosmological crisis which is averted by 'god-like' actions, and that the downtrodden hero is valorized and then 'saved'. So, while I don't agree with some of the science, some of the theology and some of the conclusions, I found this book to be a delightful reading experience because, to read it, you have to think about some pervasive human questions that cut across a range of intellectual disciplines. Though simply written, it is almost a paradigm for a kind of classic SF novel of thought. It also arouses passion for right and against wrong, makes aliens more sympathetic that many humans, and appeals to our basic sense of wonder.

The Poison Master
Liz Williams
Bantam Spectra Books
$5.99 (416 p.) ISBN: 0-553- 58498-7

In the fashion of typical heroic fantasy, Alivet Dee, the focal character of this work of fantastic fiction, begins a simple quest to rescue her sister from slavery to aliens but ends by rescuing much, much more. The hero's trajectory is the only thing typical about this complex novel of aliens, alchemy, magic and science. Alivet Dee, for example, is the far-future scion of the historical John Dee of Queen Elizabeth's reign. She has inherited, along with many people of her world, Latent Emanation, Dee's interest and talent in alchemy. This novel entertains the possibility that Dee's alchemical writings were influenced by contact with aliens, and juxtaposes short passages about his adventurous research into the surreal with Alivet's narrative. The rich cultures of at least three worlds are portrayed, with reference to the economic, social and scientific spheres, methods of travel between the planets consistent with a validation of alchemy, and alien enemies and friends of humanity. Alivet lives on a planet known to the humans as Latent Emanation, a name we can assume came from Dee himself. She travels to another called Hathes and there has to sort out her enemies from her friends. Latent Emanation is a foggy, fen-covered and soggy venue where humans live essentially medieval lives under the rule of their night-bound alien masters. Hathes has gotten rid of these menaces, but is scarcely inhabitable by humans, who live in 'environment' dwellings that keep out the air and cold of the outside world, but we are also treated to glimpses of an intensely hot planet, and to earth of the 16th century. This work is very well written, with some historical, character and literary depth. It uses literary conventions of fantasy and science fiction, as do such well-know authors as John Crowley, Mary Gentle, Umberto Eco, etc. to come up with alternative explanations for the period of time in the 16th century when Western culture hovered between deductive science and analogical alchemy. I especially enjoyed the cross-genre conventions, the focal character Alivet Dee, and the range of alien cultures, beings, planets and forms of travel between them that Williams evoked. Additionally, she tells a fast-paced adventure/mystery story with sub-plots, historical referents, red herrings and many evocative descriptive elements.

Despite this descriptive breadth, Williams creates several interesting characters and a fast-paced, compelling plot with tantalizing glimpses into the history of our own culture. Better than this, her novel incorporates major conventions of science fiction within the scope of a lyrical, fantastic tale of cultures which have organized themselves around the highly-technical use of drugs over technology. Replete with characters, concepts, and style, this is a fascinating novel from an author to be watched in the future.

Frankly, I am surprised that a book of this quality is being issued first as a mass-market paperback, especially as it is her third novel AND at least one of the others seems to have attracted critical attention.

With the publication of The Poison Master, Ms. Williams is the author of three novels, including Empire of Bones (March 2002) and The Ghost Sister. 'Empire' was reviewed favorably by Library Journal and New Your Times Book Review.

Dr. Janice M. Bogstad
Senior Reviewer
Midwest Book Review
http://www.uwec.edu/Library/cd/janice_bogstad.html

Shelley's Bookshelf
Calendar of Death
Veronica Dolan
1st Books Library
2595 Vernal Pike, Bloomington, IN 47404
ISBN: 140337239X, $13.50 www.amazon.com

Veronica Dolan grew up in Forest Hills, New York. She attended St. John's University, and then worked for Time, Life and Look magazines and the Associated Press in Manhattan. Eventually she relocated to Colorado, where she has been a public relations consultant for Denver organizations. Her first mystery was entitled HEIR APPARENTLY.

Writer/genealogist and heiress Quinn Farley and Police Lieutenant Tig Grogan want to get married, but a series of murders of high profile Republicans occurring on the 1st of each month demand the attentions of Tig. When Quinn becomes the next target, Tig and Quinn have to postpone their society wedding, much to the displeasure of Quinn's mother, Agnes, who threatens to disown Quinn if they don't go ahead with the wedding:

"Agnes' eyes filled with tears that lapped at the mascara on her lower lashes like a rising tide. She didn't speak. 'If we were to get married,' Tig said, 'and the maniac who sent the bomb tried again to kill us, he might succeed this time. You do understand that, don't you? He could kill us or some of the guests in the church. Or at the reception. Maybe even you or your relatives or Father Hubera. I can't believe you would want to risk that.'"

Quinn is angling for stories about the murders, which leads her on a genealogical hunt which turns up a wealth of information, eventually leading to the solution to all their problems.

Quinn and Tig are the quintessential young lovers, both trying to get a foothold into their professions and at the same time trying to please Quinn's "old money" mother. They are both adorable characters who are fun to read about and clean cut. The conflicts Dolan dreams up for them are more believable than in many stories: conflicts with the establishment, trying to reconcile old-fashioned values with today's demands, and having to delve into the past to explain present circumstances. Dolan makes very nice use of the past to create "sins of the fathers" conflicts.

All in all, Calendar of Death is a fine second effort for Dolan. Her characters are likeable and fun.

Facedown in Fishtown
J.P. Miller
9MM Press 112 Education Lane, Havelock, NC
ISBN: 0971735808 $12.95 (US); $19.50 (CAN), (252)447-5167, jmiller3@ec.it.com

J.P. Miller has an interesting background. He spent twenty-one years in Naval Intelligence as an expert cryptologist, which makes him eminently suited to create mysteries and puzzles. He is also a linguist, skydiver, and traveler. His areas of expertise also include criminal justice and medicine. He presently teaches aviation survival to pilots and aircrews.

Detective D.J. O'Hara operates out of the 12th District in the Northeast corner of Philadelphia. He's been on the force almost long enough to retire, and is presently dating and considering marriage to Kristen, who is trying to extricate herself from an abusive husband. Life is going fairly well, until a serial killer begins his spree in D.J.'s territory. D.J. narrates the story, and he includes lots of refreshing tidbits about police procedural that are entertaining and informative for the reader:

"It wasn't surprising that Ray didn't discover a cartridge case. The killer's weapon was probably a revolver, and revolvers don't eject the bullet case. Another explanation was simply that the perp picked it up. However, when someone commits murder, they usually don't take time to retrieve the hardware. After firing they get the hell out of Dodge."

D.J. is, thankfully, not an alcoholic. Please, writers, stop that overused convention! He is a cuddly but tough cop who has already "made his reputation." He has believable, normal problems: a daughter he adores who is probably going to have to move; whether to propose to his girl; how to take care of her abusive ex-husband. These are the things of everyday life that people want to read about. This makes Facedown in Fishtown a readable, fun book. D.J. is just enough of a smart-aleck (his conversations with his partner Manny are hilarious) to be the kind of guy who is engaging and heroic in an ordinary day-by-day way.

J.P. Miller does not shirk on details. Every step of the hunt for a serial killer with enough rage to take on an army is logical. The narrative which takes the reader into the mind of the killer (not an easy thing to do) is also straight-ahead and compelling. Facedown in Fishtown is brilliant!

Undertow Thomas
Rendell Curran
Breakwater Books Ltd.
PO Box 2188, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, A1C 6E6
ISBN: 1-55081-193-2, $19.95, www.breakwater.nf.net

Thomas R. Curran is a native Newfoundlander. His education was gained at Holloway School, Prince of Wales College, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and the University of Toronto. He spent more than twenty years writing and researching for the Parliamentary Branch of Ottawa. Undertow is his first novel.

It is 1947 in St. Johns, Newfoundland. A woman is found murdered in her bathtub. She is the fourth wife of a prominent citizen in St. Johns. Two years prior, another murder was committed, this time a young American soldier, who had been murdered by means not released in the press. This murder was not solved by 1947.

Enter Inspector Eric Stride, a detective for the Criminal Investigation Division of the Newfoundland Constabulary. Inspector Stride is a handsome detective who earned a fortune smuggling contraband during Prohibition. Stride is a bachelor, but has had a prior relationship with a daughter-in-law of the murdered woman, Joanne Taylor. Stride has to confront his own feelings in order to solve the case, and it is not easy:

"'I have to ask this, Mrs. Taylor.' Joanne looked at Phelan with some interest, half-smiling. 'Where were you Saturday night?' 'I was here until about six-forty-five. Ned and I had dinner. We were finished around six-thirty. Then Ned went to his meeting with George Shaw.' The smile grew. 'I went out to see a movie at the Paramount. THE BIG SLEEP. Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Raymond Chandler's book, a murder mystery. It was very good.'"

Undertow is a murder mystery most psychological. Inspector Stride is emotionally involved from the beginning, since a member of the murdered woman's family is his ex-lover. But aside from that, there is layer upon layer of psychological drama for Stride to untangle, even as he is examining his own past. There are important people in St. Johns who want to past to remain just that. Stride must get past all of these obstacles to solve the murder and get on with his own life. Curran does an excellent job of recreating the past in this deep and silent mystery, written in a style Canadians seem to favor. It is a book made for icy nights and warm, toasty fires.

Dying Embers
Robert Bailey
M. Evans and Company, Inc.
216 E. 49th St., New York, NY 10017
ISBN: 0-87131-997-7 $21.95 www.amazon.com

Robert Bailey is a guy who probably knows a lot about what it's really like for a private investigator (having been one). He also knows a lot about what physical combat is like, having been a participant in the Vietnam war. He is an expert pistol shot.

This is Robert Bailey's second Private Detective Art Hardin mystery, the first being PRIVATE HEAT. Art Hardin agrees to locate a wealthy inventor's old college friend. She is a reclusive artist who is living with a banshee of a "friend:"

"'You-have-in-vay-ded-my-home,' said Shelly Frampton, holding a voice synthesizer to her throat. She had almond-shaped nails lacquered a pearlescent white and gave the appearance of being larger than her one hundred and sixty pounds. Could have been the spike heels, or maybe it was her double-D bosom strapped firm and high against the effects of gravity. She wore enough make-up to be the wife of a televangelist."

Unfortunately, Anna Jones, the friend, turns up dead, and the man who hired Art is the prime suspect. Art and his wife find themselves up for charges when someone invades Art's office and plants enough child pornography to make it look like he is authentically guilty. He spends his time dodging would-be assassins, with occasional stays at the hospital when they don't miss. The FBI wants in on the action, and the locals are only too pleased to assume his guilt. It takes every ounce of strength and wits to pit himself against the gang of people who want him dead.

Robert Bailey writes a realistic novel full of enough twists and turns to keep the reader busy, just as he is busting Art's chops repeatedly for a kaleidoscope of action. Just as the reader thinks they have all the characters straight, Bailey presents another path to add to the mix. Dying Embers is a fun read, written by an author who has enough experience to keep the police, F.B.I. and the private investigators straight. It is an entertaining and educational experience for readers who thirst for realism to the Nth degree.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

Cindy Penn's Bookshelf
Love with the Proper Husband
Victoria Alexander
Avon
HarperCollins Publishers
10 East 53rd Street New York, NY USA 10022
ISBN 0060001453 Mass Market Paperback 384 pages $6.99

A lawyer's foolish mistake leaves Gwendolyn Townsend penniless. Resourceful and determined, she accepts work as governess, but her positions are short lived when employers attempt to force her into their beds. While working in America, Gwen receives a ticket back to London from her lawyer, which she gratefully accepts. It seems that her father's will did leave her modest living, and quite a bit more if she accepts her father's choice of a husband. Her father's wishes were for her to marry the Earl of Pennington. But it is Gwen's new obligation to her three orphaned nieces that seals her decision to marry.

Marcus Hocroft, the Earl of Pennington, has sought a bride for years. But his desire for intelligence in addition to an attractive appearance seems to have made his quest impossible. Then, three months before his thirtieth birthday, Marcus learns of his father's will, dictating that he marry Gwendolyn Townsend if he has not previously chosen a bride by his birthday. He assumes he will have a marriage of convince until he meets Gwen and passion flairs. But passion is not enough when there is trust to be built.

With quixotic flair, author Victoria Alexander pens a must read regency in LOVE WITH THE PROPER HUSBAND. Irreverent humor, unexpected levity and sparkling wit all find voice from fresh characterizations and subtly unexpected plotting. Gwen and Marcus, as well as marvelous cast of secondary characters, are filled with the joys and foibles that brings each characterization vividly alive. Matchmaking, fiery independence and necessity combine in this amusing read. Guaranteed to win the reader's heart, LOVE WITH THE PROPER HUSBAND comes very highly recommended.

Eyes of Betrayal
Patricia A. Rasey
Amber Quill Press
P.O. Box 50251, Bellevue, WA 98015
e-Book/Multiple Formats
ISBN 1-59279-038-0 (Electronic) $5.50
ISBN 1-59279-958-2 (Paperback) $14.50 418 pages

Two years ago "Snake" Marcus Gallego left town on his onyx Harley Davidson, taking Detective LeAnne McVeigh's heart with him. Now he returns with a raven-haired stranger that immediately captures both LeAnne and Doctor Whitney Montgomery's attention. Worse, he also brings a beautiful woman. "Villain" Egan Tate accompanies Snake on a mission to protect Virginia from her former boyfriend who happens to be a big league gang leader.

Unfortunately, within twenty-four hours, Virginia is found murdered in a style reminiscent of the murder of Snake's wife. Suspicion immediately falls to Tate who does not have an alibi. Extraordinary sexual chemistry leads to an unexpected relationship between Whitney and Tate, and she eventually provides him with an alibi. That lie, even when it becomes truth, will lead to passion and gristly danger beyond her imagining.

Readers of KISS OF DECEIT were aghast when author Patricia Rasey daringly broke all romantic conventions, allowing her hero to ride into the sunset without his heroine. Such a break of convention marks Rasey's work, as she imbues her text with the harsh realities and subtle nuances that make her novels dazzle fans time and again. The fast paced EYES OF BETRAYAL continues to keep fans guessing as to the identity of a vicious murderer, echoing the unsolved killing of Snake's wife from KISS OF DECEIT. With surgeon like precision, Rasey cuts to the heart of human motivation, revealing the striking similarities of seemingly totally disparate characters. Each scene springs vividly to life, living in the imagination long beyond when the last page is turned. Indeed, like the man she attributes to inspiring "Villain", author Rasey writes with style and class. Fans just cannot get enough of her bad boy heroes and will be eagerly awaiting her next novel.

McNamara's Ghost
Angelique Armae
Amber Quill Press
P.O. Box 50251, Bellevue, WA 98015
e-Book/Multiple Formats ISBN 1592790682 (Electronic) $3.50 Novella

In 1778, McNamara's Tavern burns, supposedly killing Hugh, who had been called the Unconquerable McNamara. His older half-brother Alex Caldwell had orchestrated events, intending to arrange inheritance of the ancient Ogham Stones, a divination and magical tool imbued with a sacred Irish script. Rather than birth order determining inheritance of the stones, a daughter of Danu must give her blessings to the inheritor.

Unfortunately, the daughter of Danu Julia, Hugh's beloved fairy witch, inadvertently betrayed Hugh and now wears Alex's symbol of ownership around her neck when a mistake left Julia powerless and easy prey for the warlock. Fortunately, Hugh's grandfather's intercession prevented complete death, leaving Hugh trapped in time and unable to reenter the mortal realm. In present day, parapsychologist Juliann Moss returns to the site of McNamara's Tavern and awakens Hugh from centuries of sleep. Hugh vows to have his revenge for Julia's supposed betrayal, but finds himself to vulnerable to the woman he has always loved. Although she long ago vowed to renounce her magic as penance for Hugh's death, she now hopes to bring him back to the mortal realm by taking his place.

In this powerful battle of good verses evil, author Angelique Armae renders a memorable tale with MCNAMARA'S GHOST. Spanning the centuries, challenges of loyalty and love provide a magical tale in which victory comes only with sacrifice. While the hero and the anti-hero are drawn with broad brush strokes that personify good and evil, the heroine portrays the powerful nuances and foibles that renders the tale both believable and powerful. Moreover, the carefully created mythology of inheritance and wizardry will quickly hook readers on Armae's work, and clamoring for the sequel. A stunningly memorable tale paranormal fans will treasure.

After the Rain
Karen White
Zebra Books
Kensington Publishing Corp.
850 Third Avenue, New York NY 10022
ISBN 0821773380 April 2003 Mass Market Paperback 384 pages $5.99

A woman on the run, photographer Suzanne disembarks the bus on a whim, choosing to stay in Walton, Georgia. Unused to children, her comment regarding leash laws and children captures Joe's attention. Introducing herself as Suzanne Paris, she quickly learns that Joe is the town mayor who also happens to be the widowed father of six children. While she knows she cannot remain in Walton long without endangering her safety, Suzanne quickly finds herself falling in love with the citizens of Walton and their mayor.

Unlike the citizens of Walton who proudly cling to their deep southern roots, Suzanne is a drifter without ties to her past. Her alcoholic mother had disappeared when she was a teen, leaving behind only a necklace with the inscription, "A life without rain is like the sun without shade." Foster homes and emotional damage have exacted their toll, but Suzanne soon discovers the rain and the sun of Walton. Suzanne blossoms under the warmth of new friends and longs to linger in the healing atmosphere and near Joe and his remarkable children.

Author Karen White pens an elegantly enchanting southern novel in AFTER THE RAIN. Fans of FALLING HOME will welcome the return of favorite characters the beauty of White's evocative prose. Indeed, readers will find themselves chuckling and tearful as the powerful characterizations sweep them into the marvelous small Georgia town and its memorable citizens. As the town conspires to protect Suzanne from threats of the past, she finds redemption and healing in the most unexpected of ways. Readers will be extremely reluctant to depart and will be clamoring for yet another sequel. AFTER THE RAIN comes very highly recommended.

Like a Knife
Annie Solomon
Warner Books
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN 0446612308 366 pages $5.99

Memories of witnessing her mother's death have always remained at the edge of Rachel Goodman's consciousness. She devotes her life to helping children who have survived similar circumstances, running a school for children who have been victims of violence. With only six weeks left on the rental space for the school, Rachel desperately seeks new funding. She certainly needs to avoid adverse publicity, but it unfortunately finds her.

Nick Raine left designer suits behind six years ago, embracing an austere life that led to his maintenance work at the school. Then his old boss demands that Nick return to his former life and find a missing child. Suddenly Nick is thrust back into a nightmarish world where he discovers the missing child his own, and where men will do anything to maintain power and money, including destroying innocents like Rachel.

Author Annie Solomon pens a stunning debut with LIKE A KNIFE. Crisp prose, sharp characterizations and a fast-paced plotting provide a combination impossible to put down. Nick Raine proves to be an intriguing hero with a deadly, dark past that haunts his every step. Rachel's background is equally painful, but gives her character power as she resourcefully deals with virtually impossible circumstances. Solomon does not pull any punches, with harsh realities and cruelties, thereby lending the novel a hard, believable edge. Readers will eagerly await more from this promising author. LIKE A KNIFE comes highly recommended.

The Kissing Game
Kasey Michaels
Warner Books
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN 0446610852 Mass Market Paperback 352 pages $5.99

When he first came into earldom by way of a complicated chain of inheritances and deaths, Oxie Nesbit took his family to London. Years of gentile poverty little prepared the Nesbit family for living in the lap of luxury. Worse, the plain spoken Oxie played pranks on too many members of the ton, making the trip a fiasco. With his daughter Allegra rapidly approaching nineteen, Oxie decides to return to London to find his daughter a husband. While Allegra had believed the trip to be a joke, the joke is on her when Oxie excorts his family to London.

Armand Gauthier keeps dark secrets that engender speculation as to the source of his wealth and parentage. With a Viscount's introduction, Armand comfortably escoungaged himself into Society, and after meeting Allegra, decides to perform the same favor for her. With no invitations on her family's mantel, Allegra must accept the invitation to Armand's ball. Moreover, Allegra cannot resist prying to Armand's secrets even as her father continues to make memebers of the ton rue the day he arrived in town.

Author Kasey Michaels lends irrepressible humor to THE KISSING GAME. Prankster Oxie lends the novel an original freshness with his outrageous antics. Allegra and Armand suit one another wonderfully with their shared need to escape the demands of Society. Allegra's forthright speech and practical view of her father will delight readers even as Armand will leave them intrigued by his dark secrets. A lovely, light read that captures the spirit of the era with flair, THE KISSING GAME comes highly recommended.

Chance Place
Frankie Schelly
Firesign Exclusives
1854A Hendersonville Rd. PMB 125, Asheville, NC 28803
ISBN 1591132207 Multiple Formats PDF 320 pages $9.95 Paperback $18.95

It was the early seventies when Nathan Waite finds himself in a Princeton dorm, the sound of Roberta Flack's music taunting his memories of making love with Cheryl and her pleas that he find help. He sees his handwriting on notes he has been studying for a test, but does not remember writing the words. As the cacophony of his growing illness crowds him mind, it results in chaos, and leads to Nathan's confinement to the mental health system.

At fourteen, Frenchy Bibideaux flees his alcoholic and violent home life for the streets. Chance brings an offer of a ride from a stranger. Despite his mother's warnings about riding with strangers, Frenchy climbs in the warm car to ride home with Peso. Clothes, money, fantasies are all lavished the boy. He enrolls in a Catholic school and lives a luxurious life. But when he turns sixteen, Peso seeks payment. Life continues to spiral out of control until French wrongly lands in a halfway home for the mentally ill in Minneapolis.

Desperate for companionship, Frenchy befriends Nathan. Nathan's family has suffered financial and emotional devastation from his illness, remanding him to the halfway house out of necessity. Both men struggle with an incomprehensible mental health system. Eventually, Frenchy's sexual confusion results in a terrible affront to Nathan. Their alienation finds unexpected healing, however, when Frenchy compromises everything for the one chance to save Nathan from a mental health system gone awry.

Author Frankie Schelly pens a stunning novel with CHANCE PLACE. With compassionate humor, poignant opportunities and unexpected joy, CHANCE PLACE finds powerful redemption. As the child of a schizophrenic mother, I am very critical of the presentation of the mentally ill in fiction and fantastically pleased with Schelly's presentation of this difficult topic. Schelly's understanding of mental illness and the sensitivity she displays reveals her own battle with schizophrenia in her son, and her awareness of the human face the illness attempts to mask. A poignant tale that weaves the disparate elements of friendship, betrayal and forgiveness into a fascinating narrative.

Lady of the Two Lands
Elizabeth Delisi
Novel Books Inc.
P.O. Box 661, Douglas, MA 01516
ISBN 1-59105-168-1 eBook $5.50 download
ISBN 1-59105-193-2 paperback $12.00 paperback

Artist Hattie Williams struggles to recreate the scene of Hatshepsut being crowned ruler of Egypt for a nonfiction book. She borrows the images from stone sarcophagi and masks on display at a museum. All the details come together with ease, but Hattie cannot seem to capture Hatshepsut's face. While she works, she feels as though someone watches over her shoulder. Finally the curator suggests that a brilliant necklace rumored to belong to the famous female Pharaoh might bring inspiration. When Hattie touches it, however, she is thrust into another dimension.

A woman bearing a close resemblance to Hattie appears. A direct descendent of Hatshepsut, Harriet must take Hatshepsut's place and protect Hatshepsut's stepson, Prince Tuthmosis, who will be the next Pharaoh. When she awakens, Hattie finds that she has traveled through time. She soon finds herself fighting her attraction for Senemut, the Royal Architect and the man she appoints to advise her in this difficult transition. She struggles to befriend Hatshepsut's sullen stepson, and to care for Hatshepsut's daughter Neferusre. But palace intrigue and lurking betrayal threaten to destroy Hattie's rule as the High Priest of Amun tries to eliminate her and gain control of the crown through the young prince.

Author Elizabeth Delisi pens an intriguing look at Egyptian culture and time travel in LADY OF THE TWO LANDS. Hattie adapts well to antiquity as she struggles to fulfill her destiny, proving herself to be a resourceful and thoughtful ruler. Having studied a bit of Egyptian history, I'm impressed with Delisi's ability to capture the flavor of the time, penning strong characterizations and a fast paced read that fans will find impossible to put down. Indeed, Delisi handles the inevitable time travel challenges with finesse. A fascinating and enjoyable read, LADY OF THE TWO LANDS comes very highly recommended.

The Quiet Storm
Intimate Moments No 1218
RaeAnne Thayne
Silhouette Books
300 East 42nd Street, New York, New York, 10017
ISBN 037327288X Mass Market Paperback 256 pages $4.75

One moment Elizabeth Quinn can radiate fire and the next moment she radiates cool composure. When she appears at the precinct hoping to convince someone to reopen a case, however, Detective Beau Riley wants nothing to do with it. Elizabeth inadvertently snubbed him a year earlier at a party, and Beau has never forgotten. He does not know that her deliberate speech and cool exterior masks a slight speech impediment caused by brain damage at birth. As a result, for years Elizabeth has endured cruel taunts and vicious criticism causing her to mask her feelings in rigid indifference.

But Elizabeth feels anything but indifferent when she asks Beau to investigate Tina's death. She is certain that her friend Tina would never have committed suicide, especially when she was looking forward to having her five-year-old son Alex back. Alex had been living with Elizabeth and her housekeeper, the boy's grandmother. Elizabeth loves and identifies with Alex, who is deaf. As a favor to his former partner who referred Elizabeth, Beau agrees to poke around in his off time, little expecting Elizabeth's assertions to be correct.

Author Raeanne Thayne upholds her reputation for penning exciting intrigue in THE QUIET STORM. Elizabeth proves herself a vulnerable and insecure heroine, hiding her weaknesses behind a cool exterior. Her subsequent mixed signals are not enough to entirely discourage this sexy hero, however! Secondary characters are likewise delightful, especially the irrepressible Alex. Making children believable without upstaging the main characters is difficult, but Thayne pulls off the challenge with style. Indeed, Thayne's talent for unconventional characters and a fascinating plot makes THE QUIET STORM a keeper. Very highly recommended.

All A Man Can Be Intimate Moments No 1215
Virginia Kantra
Silhouette Books
300 East 42nd Street, New York, New York, 10017
ISBN 0373272855 Mass Market Paperback 256 pages $4.75

From first glance, Mark DeLucca knows that his new boss, Nicole Reed, is high maintenance. A bartender, Mark thinks of her as a Chardonnay kind of lady and does not expect her to fit at the Blue Moon. Mark would have bought the bar himself if he could have secured the financing, so creating high brow ambiance and serving exotic sandwiches certainly does not please him. But word of a child he did not know he fathered six years ago forces Mark to reexamine his priorities. This certainly does not look like the time for a career change.

With seed money secured from a romance and career gone wrong, Nicole buys the Blue Moon bar hoping to start over. With a history of unhealthy relationships, Nicole brings a wealth of textbook knowledge but a lack of trust in her own instincts where Mark is concerned. Mark fits the classic and dangerous bad boy image, yet Nicole cannot resist his unexpected appeal. Especially when a miscommunication brings her to his door and a charming six-year-old opens it. Mark needs Nicole's help if he wants to keep his job and gain custody of his son. But that leaves Nicole questioning his motives as well as her own.

Author Virginia Kanta's gift for powerful characterization sparkles in ALL A MAN CAN BE. As this troubled hero and heroine come together, their differences seem impossible to bridge until a delightful six-year-old shakes their world. Both Nicole and Mark display vulnerabilities and strengths that make them sympathetic and believable. Indeed, ALL A MAN CAN BE skillfully combines emotional depth and heart-stopping sexual tension in marvelous read. ALL A MAN CAN BE comes highly recommended.

Casey's Gamble Cowgirl, Say Yes: Superromance No 1127
Brenda Mott
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373711271 Mass Market Paperback 304 pages $5.25

At twenty-seven, Tess Vega has filled her life with her immediate family and her beloved animals. She runs a non-profit organization, Western Colorado Horse Rescue, a sanctuary for abandoned and abused animals funded by donations and her own funds. She also volunteers for the local 4-H chapter, which brings her close to Darcy Darland.

Widower Wade Darland intends to cut back on ranching time to have more time to raise his son and daughter. He hopes that his budding Internet business selling tact and leather will support his family. In the five years since his wife's death, Wade has dated only rarely, especially since one women's concern for his children was entirely superficial. Despite his awareness that he and Darcy have absolutely nothing in common, however, he cannot seem to keep her at a distance, resulting in the sparks flying.

Author Brenda Mott pens a marvelously multi-layered tale of family, love and compromise in COWGIRL, SAY YES. Fans of SARAH'S LEGACY will welcome the return of Macy Darland's dad in his own romantic tale. Wade and Tess find themselves at extreme opposites: he is a rancher and she's a vegetarian animal rescuer; thereby allowing Mott to once again demonstrate her stunning ability to blend the amusing with the poignant, resulting in an incredibly touching tale. On one hand, one of the most humorous incidents in the novel is Wade's misassumption regarding his daughter's needs, and his unwillingness to speak straight up about female things. On the other hand, Tess' family's grief over her mother's deteriorating condition and the inevitable heartbreak of Alzheimer disease lends the novel a biting realism even as Tess handles the situation with amazing grace. Indeed, Mott's ability to draw tears on joy and tears of grief make her one of series romance's most poignant authors.

As Bad As Can Be Blaze No 86
Kristin Hardy
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373790481 Mass Market Paperback 218 pages $4.50

Serving Screaming Orgasms and encouraging barmaids to dance on the bar, Mallory Carson intends to make her new business Bad Reputation a success, despite brother Dave's interference. But when he sends his friend Shay O'Connor to spy, things go too far. Especially since Mallory and Shay find themselves alone in a very compromising position before either learns the other's identity. Worse, Shay walks away like it was nothing.

Men do not walk away from Mallory Carson. She does the walking on her terms and when she is ready. Unfortunately, her body does not seem to remember her own rules. Shay does not want to seduce his buddy's sister; Mallory does not want Shay's interference about the way she runs Bad Reputation. So when she learns Shay's identity, Mallory decides someone is playing games, and she is evening the score. She proceeds to show Shay just how bad she can be.

Author Kristin Hardy's rising star continues to dazzle with AS BAD AS CAN BE. Mallory conceals her vulnerability behind a bad attitude that intrigues Shay even as her walls keep him away. Indeed, sensual moments threaten to make the pages spontaneously combust with scenes filled with spontaneity and naughtiness as Mallory's bad girl attitude and Shay's good guy persona clash. I admit to falling in love with Mallory's bad girls and their love for dancing on the bar, resulting in a tone that is both exhilarating and seductive. Consequently, AS BAD AS CAN BE comes very highly recommended.

Against the Odds: Superromance No 1123
Kathryn Shay
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373711239 Mass Market Paperback 304 pages $5.25

Fifteen years ago, the Crane brothers assault and plan to rape their stepsister Annabelle. Fortunately, the timely intervention of officer Dan Whitman sends Annabelle to the safety of Serenity House. A few years later, she accepts a nanny position with Nathan Hyde's family. She and Nathan have an affair that ends tragically. Now, after five years as an undercover cop in Seattle, Annabelle returns home to recover from a bullet wound.

Nathan's political career has made him the target of stalker. Subtle clues indicate the perpetrator is someone close to him. He refuses the usual bodyguard, and only Dan's interference persuades him to accept Annabelle as an undercover bodyguard. Annabelle plays the role of Nathan's personal assistant, but the success of her assignment may depend upon how well they can control their feelings from the past.

Author Katheryn Shay pens an intriguing romance in AGAINST THE ODDS. Readers may object to the number of ethical boundaries that are crossed, however. Annabelle and Nathan's romance first began when he was married to someone else, and she agrees to become his bodyguard despite their personal history. Nevertheless, the greatest potential weaknesses of the story take on surprising strength as the surprising plot plays out. Readers will also cheer Annabelle's handling of her horrible stepbrothers. Fans will likewise enjoy the return of previous Serenity House residents, and can only hope for a second-generation series one day! AGAINST THE ODDS comes highly recommended.

Casey's Gamble Superromance No 1122
Eve Gaddy
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373711220 Mass Market Paperback 304 pages $5.25

When Duke and Angelique Fontaine leave for a second honeymoon, they turn sugar plantation Bellafontaine over to their son Jackson and daughter Cassandra. Almost immediately following their departure, however, disaster strikes when a kitchen fire threatens the lives of family members. Evidence suggest arson. Coincidentally, when Casey phones her brother to tell him of the fire, he is only minutes away with friend Nick Devlin.

Nick arrives in Louisiana to get his former riverboat casino ready for the grand opening. A rake, a rambler, and a gambling man, Nick certainly does not fit the type of man Casey needs in her life, as her family so quickly points out. But lurking physical danger as well as danger to the heart continues to provide opportunity for the chemistry Casey and Nick share to rage out of control.

Eve Gaddy's CASEY'S GAMBLE begins the exciting new trilogy Raising Cane, to be followed by THE SECRET DAUGHTER by Roz Denny Fox in May and JACKSON'S GIRL'S by K.N. Casper in June. Once again Gaddy demonstrates an amazing ability to weave complex characterizations and passion into an enthralling tale readers will find impossible to put down. Once burned, now twice-shy Casey will only win her heart's desire if she can apply the same determination she has to successfully run Bellafontaine to her love life. Nick likewise faces tremendous challenges and risks if he is to find the way to his well deserved happily-ever-after. With a rich secondary cast that provide humor and surprising twists, CASEY'S GAMBLE is a must read, coming highly recommended.

High - Tide Bride Duets
Nancy Warren
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373441630 Mass Market Paperback 384 pages $5.99

Being raised by two maiden aunts and with a name like hers, Harriet Adelaide MacPherson feels limited. She might have been a fabulous athlete, dancer and gymnast, but girls named Harriet do not become cheerleaders, no matter how good they are. Worse, a five minute beauty routine and sweaters sets with plaid skirts do not pave the way to romance, unless she wants to date a mortician. Certainly her high school crush Steve Ackerman never noticed her, not even later when they worked together at the same newspaper. At least not until the day Harriet tries to give herself a hickey with a turkey baster in the ladies restroom. Before long, Steve persuades Harriet to pursue her high school dream of becoming a cheerleader for the Braves football team, Harriet's makeover has unexpected results for all!

When she catches her husband in a compromising position, Caroline Kushner walks out on her husband Jonathon. Painful fertility issues had damaged their relationship, making communication difficult and reconciliation impossible. Despite the damage to their relationship, however, Jonathon and Caroline clearly love each other. As Jonathon attempts to win his wife back, and she questions if she judged him too harshly, life seems to conspire to add further twists to their already complex relationship.

Author Nancy Warren's gift for combining the unexpected with amusing will have readers delighted with this duet combination. Readers who loved movie reviewers Tess and Mike's romance will enjoy their nuptials as a background for even more shenanigans. Harriet and Caroline are studies in opposites, and yet balance the two stories out beautifully. Secondary characters are wonderful fun as well meaning matchmakers appear in variety of guises, from great-aunts or a mother to best friends. Indeed, the geriatric set adds the best secondary characterizations in both duets, lending them the fabulous flair that characterizes Warren's marvelous work. A HICKEY FOR HARRIET/A CRADLE FOR CAROLINE comes highly recommended.

Vital Signs Superromance No 1124
Bobby Hutchinson
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373711247 Mass Market Paperback 304 pages $5.25

Two year-old David Riggs was alone three days before a neighbor called about a loud tv that went on all night and all morning. Too young to reach the water tap, David was dehydrated and conscious in the ninety degree heat when rescue personnel find him. Such a tragedy touches the heart of all ER personnel, but none as much as pediatric nurse Hailey Bergstrom who wants a child of her own. But Hailey knows she is plain, and men do not find her attractive.

Rather than wait for the right guy to marry to come along before having children, Hailey signs up to adopt a child. When David's plight brings him to her floor, Hailey wants him. In charge of David's case, social worker Roy Zedyck sees the magic Hailey works on the pediatric floor. A woman who can wear a tale and bunny ears to make children smile, Hailey quickly captures his heart. But life has a way of dealing harsh surprises, and neither Hailey nor Roy are prepared to loose David to a mother who who would abandon him.

Author Bobby Hutchinson gracefully acknowledges the harsh realities and the delicate works of the heart in VITAL SIGNS. While it would be easy to damn a mother out of hand for abandoning her child, Hutchinson instills gentle understanding of an impossible situation. The powerful relationship between mother and child, and the important relationship between caregiver and child result in a novel with powerful depth. Further, Hutchinson does not provide simple, easy answers to this gripping drama, allowing a touch of realism to temper the happily-ever-after romance. The result is terrific read that comes highly recommended.

Drive Me Wild: Harlequin Temptation No 921
Vicki Lewis Thompson
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373691211 Mass Market Paperback 224 pages $4.25

After ten years of college, Alec Masterson is working on his fifth choice of a major and paying the bills by working as chauffer. Little does he suspect that his favorite client, Molly Drake, has him starring both in her fantasies and in her latest novel. Then Alec's actions as a Good Samaritan result in his being late to pick Molly up for an extremely important train ride into the city. Consequently, he offers to drive her from her home in Connecticut to her appointment in New York City. Anticipating good news regarding her latest literary venture, Molly says she hopes they will have something to celebrate on the way home.

A successful career ghostwriting cozy mysteries has Molly longing to have her own name on a book spine. Shifting genres, Molly pens a sensual romance. Unfortunately, her editor rejects her effort, suggesting she needs to get beyond her contrived and stilted sex scenes. Stunned and more than a little disappointed, Molly decides she needs practical experience. Soon Alec offers to help her "research" and they begin what believe to be a fling. It does not take long for them to drive each other wild!

Once again Vicki Lewis Thompson pens an absolutely sizzling romance in DRIVE ME WILD. Thompson's gift for bringing together opposites who refuse to compromise their intrinsic identities allows her characters to embrace their differences and revel in their individuality in a story where everyone wins. Moreover, Thompson breaks new ground as Molly and Alec daringly indulge their wildest fantasies, which could easily result in her fans rushing to the local video camera department. Indeed, Molly and Alec's naughty escapades will certainly inspire the most jaded of readers! This amusing romantic romp is filled with sensuality and sexuality while still providing a marvelous plot that really keeps the pages turning.

Pleasure for Pleasure: Blaze No 84
Jamie Sobrato
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373790880 Mass Market Paperback 256 pages $4.50

Following in the steps of Josie Marcus' mother would intimidate the most daring of souls. Certainly demure Josie finds it difficult to continue her mother's outrageous classes at the Lovers for Life Center when her sexual history would fit the back of a postcard. Certainly a background in marital counseling has not prepared her for lecturing on sex. When a long time attendee observes Josie's professional reputation hinges on her having a frisky love life, Josie realizes that she must take action. Then a voice from her past offers the perfect solution while exchanging pleasure for pleasure.

Trent O'Reilly owns the building housing the Lovers for Life Center as well as the extreme sports shop next door. With two months rent in arrears, Trent heads next door to collect personally. His shared history with Josie had deterred him much to long, and now its time to collect. But seeing Josie again for the first time in three years makes Trent want to collect more than just rent. He would like a bit of retribution for her dumping him on the beach three years ago without his boxers. So in exchange for private sex lessons, he offers to waive six grand in back rent payments. Little does Trent realize the ramifications of such an agreement.

Author Jamie Sobrato pens a scorching romance in PLEASURE FOR PLEASURE. As Josie and Trent learn to gain and relinquish control, they discover an erotic path of pleasure that leads to love. Josie is a fascinating mix of sassy and demure in her determination to never be like her mother, and yet enters an unorthodox agreement of exchanging personal sex lessons for rent. This troubling agreement will bother readers who perceive this exchange as prostitution, but taken with the spirit of the novel, savvy readers will understand Josie's choice as a powerful choice to take control of her past and her future. PLEASURE FOR PLEASURE comes recommended.

May the Best Man Wed: Harlequin American Romance No 967
Darlene Scalera
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373169671 Mass Market Paperback 256 pages $4.75

Two weeks before her wedding, Savannah Sweetfield enters her office early one morning to find a brilliantly handsome stranger sitting at her desk. Cash Walker, the elder brother of Savannah's fiance McCormick, hands her a letter from her intended. McCormick has disappeared without telling anyone where he is going or for how long. Suddenly Savannah's carefully scheduled world threatens to collapse like a house of cards. But rather than panic, she handles the crisis with poise and grace.

As Savannah's wedding day approaches and the groom continues his absence, Cash provides the assistance and support. But the chemistry between himself and his brother's future wife continues to build. And even if Cash does not believe that his brother will return, it is not his place to explain that to Savannah. Further, even as Savannah finds herself falling for the black sheep of the family, she knows that neither she nor Cash can betray her missing fiance.

Author Darlene Scalera pens a delightful romance in MAY THE BEST MAN WED. Her fiance's sudden disappearance just before their nuptials forces over scheduled Savannah Sweetfield to reevaluate not only her marriage plans, but also her entire life. Cash is a dreamy hero with his blatant honesty, arrogance, and his outrageous charisma. Cash can effortlessly learns the first name and family history of every person he encounters, even as he keeps rigid Savannah desperately seeking to retain her poise and balance. A warm and delightful read that includes a dash of humor and wonderful characterizations, MAY THE BEST MAN WED comes highly recommended.

Red - Hot & Reckless: Harlequin Temptation 924
Tori Carrington
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373691246 Mass Market Paperback 224 pages $4.25

Bad girls never apologize for their wild antics either in bed or out. Nicole Bennett carries her bad girl reputation to the extreme, however, with her career as a professional jewel thief. Her weakness for tall, sexy men and for Tiffany jewelry has gotten her into several scrapes over the years; nevertheless, she has never regretted her perchance for either. But someone has been following her, and Nicole has best watch or trouble will catch up to her.

Insurance investigator Alex Cassevetis has suspected that Nicole lifts other thieves' goods since Christine Bowman was caught stealing millions of dollars in uncut diamonds. While Christine was convicted, the diamonds disappeared. Now Alex intends to persuade Nicole to help him apprehend "Dark Man," a thief turned serial killer. But working with Nicole proves disconcerting when he knows there can be no future for their electric attraction.

RED HOT & RECKLESS is the best Tori Carrington offering yet! Carrington takes "bad girl" to an all-new level, with a heroine who never apologizes for her unorthodox career. Wild, tempting and daring, Nicole takes what she wants and lives as a truly free spirit. Overly responsible Alex finds that wildness incredibly alluring, but he is also an irresistibly sexy hero. Indeed, readers will wonder how much of his Greek mystique is inspirited from the male side of the fabulous writing duo of Lori and Tony Karayianni. And perhaps it is the dynamic of a male/female writing team that allows both hero and heroine to consistently sparkle in all of their novels, and most especially in the sizzling RED HOT & RECKLESS. Moreover, the strong heroines in "The Bad Girls Club" series will certainly have readers clamoring for more bad girl stories.

Kelton's Rules: Superromance No 1119
Peggy Nicholson
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373711190 Mass Market Paperback 304 pages $5.25

Getting lost on the way to Sedona only makes young Skyer Lake's pleas to return to their previous life in New Jersey that much louder. With the vast wisdom of a ten-year-old, Skyler still hopes for a reconciliation between his pilot father and free spirited mother Abby, despite his father's new wife and expected twins. In the midst of Divorce Crazies, Abby plans to build an adobe and a new life in Sedona until life takes an unexpected detour. Thanks to Skyler's meddling, the ensuing damage to their van guarantees time in Trueheart, Colorado living next door to their rescuer, Jack Kelton and his young daughter Kat.

In the small town of Trueheart, Jack cannot seem to find a babysitter capable of keeping his mischievous daughter in hand. Kat's pranks are legendary, with her singed eyebrows only demonstrating proof of her imaginative troublemaking. Her new friendship with Skyler threatens disaster, however, when Skyler objects to their parents' possible romance. Besides, with Kelton believing it is unwise to get involved with a woman suffering from Divorce Crazies, and Abby believing a woman must stand alone, romance does not seem probable. But then, the community of Trueheart has already demonstrated its perchance for bringing together the unlikely.

In the fifth story of the Trueheart series, author Peggy Nicholson pens an irresistible look at love and family in KELTON'S RULES. This lively romance combines the best of the Divorce Crazies, determined children, and far-reaching passions. Cat and Skyler playfully demonstrate the best and worst of imaginative children with realistic displays of emotion and disappointment that will delight readers even as they touch reader's hearts. Women who have experienced a divorce will certainly recognize the symptoms of Divorce crazies from the irrepressible urge to create a new life to the need to prove oneself whole without a man. Jack proves to be just the man to rock Abby's world even as it does not take long for him to acknowledge that life does not necessarily follow his plans where his heart rules. A wonderfully realistic, delightfully playful read, KELTON'S RULES comes highly recommended.

The Wrong Woman: Superromance No 1125
Linda Warren
Harlequin Retail Inc
PO Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
ISBN 0373711255 Mass Market Paperback 304 pages $5.25

Secrets have dominated Serena Farrell's life. Her grandfather kept their financial condition quiet, indulging Serena and her grandmother's every need while potentially bankrupting their future. Both grandparents refused to discuss Serena's mother and father or events surrounding her birth. But when a stranger mistakes her for an identical woman, Serena seeks answers.

Business takes private investigator Ethan Ramsey to a seamy Dallas nightclub where he sees a striking red head that seems none too happy about her job. When he sees her again at a coffee shop, Ethan introduces himself and offers his assistance. Taken aback, Serena pockets the card as she denies a connection to the mysterious woman. But soon Serena pulls the card from the trash when she finds herself intrigued by possibilities her grandmother refuses to discuss.

Fans will recognize Ethan Ramsey from STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART and EMILY'S DAUGHTER and agree it is time he gets his own story! And Ethan finds exactly the kind of woman he deserves if only they can sweep aside the intrigue and risk their hearts. The contrast and commonalities in twins Serena and Sarah proves fascinating, and will leave readers chiming for Sarah's story. With complex family dynamics and fascinating characterizations, THE WRONG WOMAN lives up to Linda Warren's reputation for excellence. THE WRONG WOMAN comes highly recommended.

Cindy Penn, Senior Reviewer
Midwest Book Review
http://www.wordweaving.com

Klausner's Bookshelf
Ultimate Fitness: The Quest for Truth about Exercise and Health
Gina Kolata
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
2003, $24.00, 292 pp., ISBN: 0374204772

New York Times science reporter Gina Kolata provides an insightful look at the mythos of exercise. Ms. Kolata is a participant who enjoys working out, but a claim led her to wonder what is the supporting scientific evidence vs. the health industry distortions. Ms. Kolata includes a comparative historical perspective re exercise beliefs over the ages so that readers can see how the ancients compare with other generations to include the information age. The author shreds several of the leading accepted theories from the gospels that low-intensity exercise burns the most fat and that stretching must come before the workout to prevent pulls, etc. Adding to the account is a terse look at the promotion of food and food supplements to lose weight and increase muscle definition. ULTIMATE FITNESS: THE QUEST FOR TRUTH ABOUT EXERCISE AND HEALTH is more than a simple expose because Gina Kolata cares deeply about her subject that comes across as genuine especially when she tells her personal anecdotals and those of her daughter. The book is easy to read, can be put down and leisurely returned to, and does not j'accuse us couch potatoes for failing to save ourselves. Instead even us out of shape, overweight, non-exercisers will find this nonfiction work pleasurable to follow as Ms. Kolata makes it clear that the benefit of exercise at least to her is not losing weight, feeling healthier and fitter, but is in the active participation of playing the game.

Positively Fifth Street: Murderers, Cheetahs, and Binion's World Series of Poker
James McManus
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
2003, $26.00, 422 pp., ISBN: 0374236488

Harper's magazine hired novelist James McManus to write an article on the World Series of Poker. The magazine is interested in the relatively new phenomena especially the impacts of female players, information technology on the game, the murder of Ted Binion of the host family, and the subsequent arrest and trial of a stripper and her boyfriend. Once McManus arrives at Las Vegas' Horseshoe Casino he rationalizes that to truly write this article, he must participate. Being an apartment house player, McManus risks his advance to join at the table. POSITIVELY FIFTH STREET: MURDERERS, CHEETAHS, AND BINION'S WORLD SERIES OF POKER provides great depth into the mindset of the cast (not just the card players, but also the groupies) than the original article that Harper's magazine published. Mr. McManus is at his best when he reports his guilt over the hedonistic pleasure of the game and side benefits while leaving at home his wife and daughters. The rest of the story, mostly fulfilling what his editors want as described in the paragraph above, is well written and engages the audience through the use of poker vernacular and metaphors. Still the first-hand account at the table draws the final card in a royal flush nonfiction that casual card players will enjoy.

Revenge
Laura Blumenfeld
Washington Square
April 2003, $14.00, 366 pp., ISBN: 0743463390

Washington Post reporter Laura Blumenfeld seemed to own the world in 1998 as her personal life and her professional life appeared so ideal. However, one event from twelve years earlier still haunts Laura. In 1986 Israel a Palestinian terrorist shot her father. Though he survived and his wannabe murderer was incarcerated, the incident scarred Laura's psyche. REVENGE is all she could think of until 1998 when the Shooter (as she calls him) Omar Khatib was released from prison. Laura saw this as a chance to act on her thirst for retaliation. She begins to visit places where terrorism is a way of life like Bosnia and conducts interviews of both the culprit and the victims of violent acts to better understand revenge. Laura also spends time with Khatib's family and becomes a pen pal with her worse nightmare. She begins to understand him and his way of life, but doesn't know what will happen when they meet. REVENGE is an interesting account of one person's need to understand why and more critical a catharsis of the soul. Though the international review she conducted on terrorism in other places lacks the passion of Laura Blumenfeld's accounts of her family and that of the Shooter, the chronicle provides an intriguing look at the similarities and differences cultures assign to vengeance. Still in the end, the insight into the two antagonists makes for quite a story of hope where a reader can imagine people giving peace a chance.

There Must Be More Than This: Finding More Life, Love, and Meaning by Overcoming Your Soft Addictions
Judith Wright
Broadway Books
2003, $23.00, 247 pp., ISBN: 0767913396

Motivational speaker and writer Judith Wright insists that the minor harmless habits are the dangerous ones that hold people prisoners within "soft addictions" that keep an individual from enjoying love and meaningfulness in life. These time filling disillusioned ruts like watching TV or surfing the Internet typically leave a person unfulfilled. Ms. Wright offers a program to eliminate or at least reduce the "soft addictions" in order to gain a more harmonic lifestyle shared with loved ones. The author espouses live everyday with the expressed purpose of achieving your goals and stepping closer to attaining one's vision rather than hide within the socially acceptable rut. This self-help book is well written and easy to follow once the reader understands the underlying hypothesis fostered by Ms. Wright, who makes a strong anecdotal case defending her belief. The difficult part remains disciplining one's self because these "soft addictions" are so hypnotic even when one is left feeling empty afterward, but Ms. Wright offers small steps as a plan to achieve a more satiated life shared with loved ones. THERE MUST BE MORE THAN THIS: FINDING MORE LIFE, LOVE, AND MEANING BY OVERCOMING YOUR SOFT ADDICTIONS is solid advice for those who seem greater harmony within themselves.

Miscarriage: Why it Happens and How Best to Reduce Your Risks--A Doctor's Guide to the Miscarriage
Henry G. Lerner, M.D.
Perseus
Feb 2003, $16.95, 291 pp., ISBN: 0738206342

Even if there is no need for emergency surgery afterward, a miscarriage leaves behind quite a bundle of mostly negative feelings on the part of the mother and even that of the father. Most people when hearing of a miscarriage react with sympathy towards the parents. However, the parents, especially the mother, guiltily wonders if something she did caused this traumatic event. The mother and to a lesser degree the father is the target that author Dr. henry G. Lerner wants to help. He responds to the self-incriminating questions often asked such as what did I do wrong? Dr. Lerner with contributions by Dr. Domar provide practical advice on how to reduce the odds of preventing a miscarriage from happening again and how to cope with the depression that is sure to come if a miscarriage occurred. This book is lucid and well written for a wannabe parent to understand yet treats mothers and fathers as intelligent people just lacking information on a "taboo" subject that no one wants to talk about. Dr. Lerner provides insightful information on avoidance and as important how to deal with the deep guilt that will follow if a miscarriage happens. The key to this enlightening nonfiction work is the advice provided to both parents for the forgotten father will feel doubt, depression, and lack of confidence as to what to do for his ailing spouse and his own psyche. MISCARRIAGE: WHY IT HAPPENS AND HOW BEST TO REDUCE YOUR RISKS--A DOCTOR'S GUIDE TO THE FACTS is a strong insightful guidebook.

Immortalis
R.A. Salvatore
Del Ray
May 2003, $26.95, 496 pp., ISBN: 0345441222

Elven trained Aydrian kills his stepfather, exiles his mother Jilseponie, and declares himself king of Honce-the-Bear. With his large army King Aydrian leads an attack on the elves, who manage, through a huge sacrifice, to defeat him. In the south, Behren is dissolving into a series of petty city-states. Brynn, elven trained, liberates her country of To-gai from invaders with the help of the dragon Agradeleous. However, she also shows the Behrenese people that their religion is based upon a lie, opening the way for Aydrian's ally Abbot Olin to fill the void. The broken Jilseponie is stunned with what the elves have done and caused, but though she wants to nurture her long lost son, she also needs to insure the true heir, Prince Medalis, sits on the throne of Honce-the-Bear. While the elves struggle to survive from the taint they caused, Brynn and Jilseponie join forces to take down a teen they both love. With the final act of the incredible Demon Wars Saga, R.A. Salvatore makes a case that he ranks with the best fantasy writers of the past few decades. The key to this novel and the previous tales is the world building skills of the author that makes Corona a complex believable orb with varying cultures, magics, and religions. The characters, mythological or mundane, all seem authentic with the key ones sharing a tragic stage that sends the audience empathizing with their dilemmas. This novel and series is simply great epic fantasy.

Long Hot Summoning
Tanya Huff
Daw Books
May 2003, $6.99, 416 pp., ISBN 0756401364

Keepers are those of the Lineage who maintain the metaphysical balance of the world. Now that Diana Hansen has graduated high school she is no longer kept in reserve but is a full-fledged Keeper. She notices a bracelet a student is wearing is tainted by evil and learns that it was bought at a store in the Kingston, Ontario Mall. Realizing that the forces of darkness have almost taken over the mall, Diane gets her sister Claire, powerful in her own right, to help her in her first Summoning. They cross over from the mall to the Otherside where an identical mall is segueing into the one on the mortal plane. There they find allies in Arthur and his elves (street children who have found their way into the Otherside and have changed into another life form). There they prepare to do battle with the evil being known as the Shadowlord, a fight they must win if Earth is to survive. LONG HOT SUMMONING is a delightful and charming urban fantasy that is both funny and exciting. The plot is so fast-paced that readers find a need to see what happens next. The secondary cast is whimsical creatures that include a magic mirror and a cat that used to be an angel. They play a small but pivotal role in the story line, leaving readers feeling as if they were participants in an adult fairy tale.

Beyond Sunrise
Candace Proctor
Ivy
May 2003, 432 pp., ISBN: 0345447182

Renowned for her global travel books, India McKnight needs a guide to visit the South Seas island of Takaku, but no one will take her because of the native cannibal populace. British Naval Captain Simon Granger suggests India ask Jack Ryder, who lived with cannibals, to take her. Jack and his adolescent partner Patu agree to take India to the island so that she can determine whether the rock formation is natural or man-made. Jack drops India on the island, giving her a few hours to return. However, Simon and his ship arrive. They want to catch Jack, accused of killing half a crew by sinking the Lady Juliana. Jack takes India hostage and they trek across the island as he tries to reach the French side. On the journey, Jack and India fall in love, but he knows she has no future with him. Fans of the African Queen will want to read this nineteenth century south Pacific version of the classic. The story line hooks the reader from the moment India dumps a bucket of water on a drunken sleeping it off Jack. Readers will compare the lead couple to Bogart and Hepburn and realize the duo is a charming pair. Though some readers may detest the use of profanity, it fits in an action-packed plot that goes full throttle until the finish.

Heart of Gold
Jessica Bird
Ivy
May 2003, $6.99. ISBN: 0804119899

Colonial Era archeologist and historian, Carter Wessex agrees to accept a grant to dig on Farrell Mountain if she obtains the approval of corporate raider Nick Farrell. She is very excited about trying to solve the Revolutionary War mystery of what happened in 1775 to the Winship party and the gold they carried until she meets Nick. He is nasty and tosses her off his property. When Nick connects the name to a business partner, he sees an opportunity to insure the man owes him favors as Carter and her father have been estranged since her mother died. Nick invites Carter to dig on his mountain, but never expected to fall in love with her. He worries what will happen when she learns the truth that he manipulated the situation as a business venture, but not as much as the concern he feels for her safety when a rival abducts her. Solving an eighteenth century mystery using modern day archeological techniques is fun to follow and the varying relationships are all delightful to observes. However, an extra intrigue caused by a lunatic peer and Carter's misunderstanding of her parents' relationship seems unnecessary and contrived. Still Carter and Nick are a pleasant duo and his nephew, Carter's partner and his daughter make for a wonderful contemporary romance that will leave readers appreciating Jessica Bird's talent.

Night Swimming
Laura Moore
Ivy
May 2003, $6.99, ISBN: 0804120048

The first chance Lily Banyon could leave her hometown of Coral Beach, Florida she fled. It is several years later and she has become a highly regarded marine biologist renowned for her international work on coral reefs while working for the prestigious Marine Center in Massachusetts. Coral Beach is in the midst of a controversy between the environmental leaning Mayor Sean McDermott and the business development leaning council over the reef. When the advisor Dr. Lesensky becomes deathly ill, the town obtains the assistance of the Marine Center to determine the health of the reef. Over her objection, a reluctant Lily is sent home to complete the study. Immediately, Sean and Lily send attraction sparks to each other that could ignite the southeast. Both have secretly loved each other since their teen days, but circumstances and a lack of confidence has kept them from connecting. As they fall in love as adults someone tries to sabotage her efforts in favor of development regardless of the findings. NIGHT SWIMMING is a pleasant contemporary romance that entertains on several levels besides the lead couple's skirmishes that hide their love for one another. Two engaging additional subplots (the health of reefs and the high school age "relationship" between Lily and Sean told in flashbacks) add leagues of depth. The villain is too greedy and sleazy to take seriously hurting the meaningful debate between environment and development. Still sub-genre fans will appreciate Laura Moore's fine tale.

Dead Ringer
Jasmine Cresswell
Mira
May 2003, $6.50, 400 pp., ISBN: 1551667126

On Christmas Day 2001 in Des Moines, Riordan "Dan" Michael Gray and his wife of seven months Charlotte come home from visiting family. Dan takes out the garbage, but fails to return. Charlotte calls the police who begin a search that fails. Dan owns the successful Panini coffee shops. When payroll is due to the employers, Charlotte's father calls Dan's lawyers to learn he gave the business to her as a divorce settlement. Later the FBI informs her that her missing husband is terrorist Daniel O'Toole of the IRA. A couple of years later in Tampa Bay, FBI agent John Hanseck visits Charlotte to inform her that Dan is in the country and probably in the Tampa area. The Feds want to use her as bait to catch him, but she wants her past buried so declines participating. However, refusal fails to keep her from being kidnapped. One of her abductors, whom she finds attractive and somewhat familiar looking, keeps her safe. This is an exciting romantic suspense that hooks the reader once Dan vanishes. The story line is fast-paced as the audience waits to see what will happen when Dan and Charlotte meet up and learn why he left. There is the question of who will end up with the girl as a potential romance between the heroine and the Fed as well as the abductor protecting her adds to the intrigue. Though the climax seems too pat, fans will appreciate this terse thriller.

Changing Habits
Debbie Macomber
Mira
May 2003, $24.95, 352 pp., ISBN: 1551666901

In the 1960s, three young women from diverse lifestyles enter St. Peter's Parrish in Minneapolis with the belief they are destined to become nuns. Angelina Marcello, Kathleen O'Shaunessy, and Joanna Baird had different reasons for becoming "Brides of Christ", but shared an idealism to serve God and help the community. In 1972 the three nuns struggle with crisis of faith. For Sister Angelina, it was the simple failure of the Church to deal with the problems of a pregnant teen Corrine that sent her back to her father's restaurant. Temporarily taking over the accounting journal led Sister Kathleen to Father Brian Doyle with both wrestling between their vows and a very human love for one another. For Sister Joanna, the return of Viet Nam vet Dr. Tim Murray reminds her that she joined for the wrong reasons as she begins to fall in love with the still recovering medical practitioner. Will the church lose three more dedicated people or will the vows prove strong enough to keep these Sisters within the fold? CHANGING HABITS is not the typical fare from Debbie Macomber, but is an insightful look at some of the problems the modern day Catholic Church is confronting in America. The story line is well written as the trio of nuns seems so genuine and human. The support cast enables the audience to understand their motives from entry into the Church until the individual crisis of faith occurs. Readers will feel strongly what each one of the Sisters contends with as Ms. Macomber powerfully focuses on the critical loss of nuns facing the Church today.

The Love Knot
Rebecca Brandewyne
Mira
May 2003, $6.50, 400 pp., ISBN: 1551666855

In 1802 Verity Collier accepts a position as governess to seven-year-old twins Meliora and Bastian though she has no previous experience with this work. Because the position is in remote Cornwall, the father Lord Jago Ransleigh, has no other takers. For Verity, the position enables her to escape working at a suffocating school. On the trek to St. Aubyn, highwayman Black Jack Raven holds up the carriage containing Verity. She courageously persuades him not to take a family locket from her, but he imitates Sheridan by stealing a locket of her hair. At the manor, Verity finds she likes the reticent children still struggling with the death of their mother in an accident two years ago. When she meets the Earl, who is always away from the estate on War Office business, she thinks he is also Black Jack. Trying to learn the truth places her in danger of the body and the heart as she quickly falls in love with her employer. This delightful Regency romantic suspense borrows heavily from the gothic crowd. Verity lives up to her name, but is also brave (no Rape of the Lock will stop her) and serves as the right role model for two lost little children. Readers will feel for the twins, but especially Bastian (try getting more than a nod out of him). Jago is the classic gothic hero who cannot believe the woman he is falling in love with would foolishly waltz into danger. Rebecca Brandewyne shows why she is so highly regarded with this strong historical intrigue.

No Sanctuary
Helen R. Myers
Mira
May 2003, $6.50, 384 pp., ISBN: 1551666596

In 1995 Tyler, Texas, metal sculptor Bay Butler works late on completing the "iron maiden" gate for client Madeleine Ridgeway. However, someone viciously kills her business partner Glenn English in their studio. The police arrest Bay, who is convicted on weak circumstantial evidence and sent to Gatesville Women Penitentiary. Just under six years later, Madeleine sends her lawyer Lyle Gessler with new evidence that vacates the conviction and frees Bay. However, instead of freedom, Bay finds her benefactor Madeleine demands she attend the ministry she runs. At the same time, Bay meets Detective Jack Burke, who has not slept well since the conviction. Needing to know the truth and not accepting Gessler's version, Bay plans to investigate, but Bay wants to help her. As they fall in love, they begin to uncover a town without pity run by blood money. NO SANCTUARY is an exciting investigative romance that works on several levels, but especially when Bay and Jack share a scene, whether that it is fighting, inquiries, or falling in love. The conspiracy climax seems a bit thin, but the lead couple more than just makes up for that. Fans of taut small town Texas romantic suspense will find sanctuary in Helen R. Myers' latest thriller.

The Perfect Lie
Dinah McCall
Mira
May 2003, $6.99, 384 pp., ISBN: 1551666758

Sixteen years ago in Bel Air, California, Jonah Slade is elated that his girlfriend Felicity Blaine carries his child and plans to propose. However, his bliss ends immediately when Felicity informs him that she aborted the baby and will stop seeing him. Jonah angrily leaves while Felicity knows her inability to stand up to her billionaire father Declyn ended the relationship though she lied about having the abortion. Over the past six months, Jonah, a CIA agent works undercover as a mercenary for Columbia drugpin Miguel Calderone. Jonah sets up the bust, watches Miguel's son Alejandro kill a friend, so he kills Alejandro. Miguel sees the incident and vows vengeance. Thugs invade the Blaine home killing Felicity, severely injuring Declyn, and kidnapping her son Evan. Felicity's sister Mercedes, estranged from her father, visits Jonah to enlist his help. He is stunned to learn he has a kid and plans to free him, as he understands Miguel's message, "a son for a son". As the rescue mission unfolds, Jonah and Macie, as he calls Mercedes, fall in love, but first they must save the teen and survive the mission before seeking anything long-term. THE PERFECT LIE is an exciting romantic suspense novel that readers will enjoy once Macie visits Jonah. The story line is loaded with action and a strong cast though one traitorous individual seems out of character. Jonah is a courageous protagonist and Evan is clearly his son though the two never met. Macie is a brave person not afraid of the truth even when it proves costly. Dinah McCall provides a taut thriller that the audience will welcome.

Alison's Automotive Repair Manual
Brad Barkley
St. Martin's Press
Mar 2003, $23.95, 288 pp., ISBN: 0312291388

In West Virginia, thirty something widow Alison Durst remains in mourning though her husband died in an accident two years ago. Her sister Sarah and brother-in-law Bill have been supportive, but even they are tiring of Alison as a permanent, grieving guest plus they care and just want her to rebuild her life. Both believe she needs to start over first by moving into her own home. However Alison is not ready to leave. Although she knows nothing about cars, she decides to rebuild Bill's broken-down Corvette. She will move out once she completes her task. Munitions manufacturer Max Kesler agrees to assist Alison on her quest. They begin seeing each other although his father's behavior jeopardizes this relationship before the attraction can become anything permanent. ALISON'S AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR MANUAL is an amusing romantic romp with serious undertones that is at its best when the lead couple goes out on dates at weird locales. Her side, including her late husband, provides strong support so that the reader further understands Alison's struggles with getting on with her life. On the other hand, his father impedes the flow of a delightful tale worth reading by fans of second chance romances.

The Character of Rain
Amelie Nothomb
St. Martin's Press
April 2003, $11.95, 132 pp., ISBN: 0312302487

In the beginning before there is an Amelie, God exists as a tube eating, breathing, and excreting. However, the creators are a bit unhappy that this baby behaves more like a vegetable so these parents nickname the tube "la Plante". However, two years later la Plante abruptly moves and cries. Then the Tube's Belgium grandma arrives with the most devastating poison known in the universe, white chocolate. The Tube tastes the sweetness and a new conscience has metamorphosed. Life in the tube has turned quite sweetly though the awakening of Amelie makes her realize that paradise will be lost. This unusual autobiographical tale first is told in the third person until the pivotal moment in history, the infamous chocolate incident, when the plot is written as a first person narrative. Not everyone will want to read this metaphysical story, but those who do will find a clever, witty, and intelligent tale that even makes the earliest of days come across realistically. Except for the title, fans will appreciate Amelie Nothomb's work that does not miss a beat in the translation from the original French METAPHYSIQUE DES TUBES.

The Night of the Dance
James Hime
St. Martin's Press
May 2003, $24.95, 320 pp., ISBN 0312313225

Ten years ago Sissy Fletcher, a twenty-five year old beautiful and wild woman, disappears after last being seen at the Rodeo Dance. Everyone thought she went to the big city to start a new life for herself but that theory is disproved in the present when a construction crew digs up the remains of Sissy. The sheriff of Washington County, Texas Clyde Thomas knows he's not equipped to deal with a murder investigation so he asks retired Texas Ranger Captain Jeremiah Spur to help him. Even though his daughter is dying in a Houston hospital, Jeremiah agrees to help but Sissy's brother Martin is disturbed that her bones were recovered and along with his friend Did (an appropriate name) start a two man crime wave. Believing he is God's messenger, he robs a grocery store killing a black man and his mother. He also intends to blow up the courthouse so that all the law enforcement people die. Sissy's investigation has to be put on hold while innocent men and women are at the mercy of an insane killer. This is James Hime's debut novel and it is a solid police procedural, but even better crime as a thriller. Readers are left to wonder why the discovery of Sissy's remains set off her brother and the answer rings true even though it is shocking. The hero of this novel is the Texas Ranger (retired) who bends a few rules to see Justice prevail. He keeps his head while everything he cares about seems to be falling apart. THE NIGHT OF THE DANCE is a strong debut novel.

Drybone Hollow
John Billheimer
St. Martin's Press
Apr 2003, $24.95, 320 pp., ISBN: 0312291213

Failure analyst Owen Allison plans to return to Palo Alto to reconcile with his ex-wife Judith though he was delayed by his need to be with his mother in West Virginia when she underwent chemotherapy (see DISMAL MOUNTAIN). However, further problems in West Virginia postpone Owen's trip to the West Coast. The dam by the Canaan II mine erupts, killing four and filling DRYBONE HOLLOW with coal sludge. Owner Anson Stoke hires Owen to persuade environmentalist Judge Carter Vereen that despite the toll, his operations remain safe and should stay open. Judge Vereen orders an investigation of all impoundment dams sitting on mines, which leads to state attorney general Hayes Boyer asking Owen to head the inquiry, but demanding a kickback of 15% of Owen's fee. Owen rejects the offer, but turns to his friend Sheriff Thad Reader to set a trap to expose those using fixed contracts, but the law enforcement official deals with a full plate already as a local has probably been abducted. So Owen plunges ahead knowing he will receive limited support from his buddy, but mine engineer Emily Kruk makes it worth while to stay in West Virginia a bit longer. Though the "will he reconcile or not" becomes a bit annoying, readers will appreciate the latest Owen Allison investigative tale. Most of the audience will kick themselves when they see how obvious John Billheimer's plot solves the mystery as the clues are all provided, but so devilishly done that most fans (including this sore reviewer) will fail to see it. The cast is a delight with the hero at his best when he investigates.

The Owls of Gloucester
Edward Marston
St. Martin's Press
Apr 2003, $23.95, 288 pp., ISBN: 0312285426

Late in the eleventh century under the reign of William, Brother Nicholas fails to return to Gloucester Abbey from collecting the rents. He remains missing for two days leading to concern and high tension among the residents of Gloucester Abbey because that is out of character for the monk. Anxiety dramatically increases when two novices, known for their misdeeds, stumble over the corpse of Brother Nicholas, whose throat has been slashed. The Brothers and the novices panic while Sheriff Durand stuns the Abbot when he insists that the opportunity to kill the victim was only available to one of monks. In the area to resolve another minor land dispute, Domesday Commissioners Ralph Delchard and Gervase Bret travel to Gloucester Abbey to conduct their own investigation. They quickly conclude that the murder of Nicholas is just the start of an evil that will kill again and ultimately destroy the abbey unless stoped. Instead of turning repetitive and as boring as resolving an insignificant land dispute (just ask Ralph), the tenth Domesday novel is a delightful fresh treat. The "locked door" who-done-it is cleverly designed and fun to follow as the lead sleuths struggle with a closed mouth abbot and an irate sheriff wanting them to stay out of his business to solve the case. Historical tidbits interwoven into the plot enhance the murder mystery. However, the key to Edward Marston's latest William era tale is the depth of the support cast which enables the audience to visualize medieval times inside a strong investigative novel.

Ransom at Sea
Fred Hunter
St. Martin's Press
Apr 2003, $23.95, 272 pp., ISBN: 0312300662

Chicago senior citizen Emily Charters takes her grieving friend Lynn Francis on a Great Lakes cruise to help the younger woman cope with the recent death of her lesbian lover. On board the same ship is nasty and dictatorial Marcella Hemsley who has no qualms at being the queen of mean and abusing her reticent companion, her young niece Rebecca. Surprisingly since she seems to still be grieving her loss, Lynn finds herself attracted to Rebecca. Perhaps as shocking, Rebecca responds, at least to the friendliness offered especially by Lynn but Emily too. However, someone murders Marcella whose corpse is found in her cabin. The police arrest Rebecca who had motive and opportunity. Unable to resist especially since Lynn is interested, Emily begins investigating. Helping her is police detective Jeremy Ransom, her partner on several other cases. RANSOM AT SEA is a classic investigative tale that runs the inquiry gamut but is at its best while the lead couple interviews potential witnesses and suspects. The who-done-it story line dominates the tale as the elderly Emily and her junior "colleague" question an amusing ensemble to uncover who actually killed the offensive victim. Lynn's sexual preference is not hidden and handled with dexterity by Fred Hunter, as he provides a delightful mystery that readers will appreciate.

Embracing Uncertainty: Breakthrough Methods for Achieving Peace of Mind When Facing the Unknown
Susan Jeffers, Ph.D.
St. Martin's Press
Mar 2003, $24.95, 285 pp., ISBN: 0312309554

Dr. Susan Jeffers suggests a methodology for people to attain mental equilibrium and serenity in an uncertain world that seems increasingly unpredictable since 9/11. The author feels that too many people waste time, energy, and money trying to control what the future will bring to them. Instead, Dr. Jeffers advocates acceptance of three prime "realities" before one can learn to live life to the fullest. In other words, Dr. J encourages readers to "live for today and don't worry about tomorrow". Though nothing innovative (Grass Roots offered the same advice thirty-five years ago) to embrace in this self-help book, Dr. Jeffers provides a timely tranquil message in a world that seems as if stress is the solo measure.

The Last Witness
K. J. Erickson
St. Martin's Press
May 2003, $24.95, 352 pp., ISBN 031231468X

Marshall "Mars" Bahr and his partner Nettie Frisch are leaving the Homicide Division of the Minneapolis Police Department to work the BCA's cold case unit. However, before they leave they try to solve one last case. Teri DuCain Jackson was found dead in her Lake of the Isles home. Her parents discovered the body. Afterward the father suffered a heart attack and died. His wife is sure that her son-in-law, a wife beater, killed her daughter, but Tayron "T-Jack" Jackmon of the Minnesota Timberwolves has a perfect alibi. He was with his in-laws, their lawyer and his attorney negotiating a settlement that would give him a hundred million dollars if he allowed Teri to divorce him. T-Jack couldn't have killed her because Teri spoke to them moments before her death. Mars thinks that T-Jack hired a hitman to kill his wife but they lack the one crucial piece of evidence that would allow them to arrest the suspect. Mars comes up with a possible way to nail T-Jack and save a life but to do so will force him to put his badge on the line. K.J. Erickson writes an exciting police procedural that maintains reader interest from the first page to last. Although there is some surface resemblance to the Simpson scenario, in THE LAST WITNESS the police are not prejudiced and maintain a professional manner. Through his son readers see that Mars is a caring person who plays by the rules even when it cost him custody. One can't help but admire him and wish that more people had such a strong moral code. This is a "two-thumbs up" reading experience.

Badlands
Peter Bowen
St. Martin's Press
May 2003, $23.95, 272 pp., ISBN 0312262523

In Toussaint, Montana, the townsfolk host a going away party for a family who owned a ranch for over a century, but forced to sell to the well funded The Host of Yahwah. A white priest leads the cult and decrees his followers will be picked up by alien spaceships just before the world is destroyed. Gabriel DuPre learns through his FBI contacts that seven men who left the cult were all killed on the same day at the same time in various places around the country by female members. Gabriel tries to help a woman trying to escape but when she sees that members of the cult are about to captue her, she kills herself in front of her children. When Gabriel sneaks into the compound and sets fire to an ammunitions dump, the resulting explosions are enough to get the FBI involved. The FBI surrounds the compound but nobody wants another Waco so the Federal agents are prepared to wait them out until Gabriel comes up with an idea to break the back of the resistance. The tenth installment in this series is refreshingly original due in large part to the protagonist who though a grandfather fourteen times over, lives life to the fullest. He is not afraid to take chances and puts his life on the line to try and get some information on the cult that can be used by the FBI. In BADLANDS the federal agents are the good guys who act with restraint while the cult members pursue their sinister agenda. Peter Bowen does for Montana what Tory Hillerman does for New Mexico.

Facade
Patricia A. Rasey
Amber Quill
2003, $15.50, ISBN: 1592799779

McCreary County Sheriff Mike "Mac" McArthur and his Deputy Detective KC Tanner find the missing George Tanner, a homicide victim who was tortured before he was killed. Both law enforcement officials are stunned by the amount of violence inflicted on George. More people soon die with the culprit customizing the killings and holding a county in abject fear over who will be next. Mac's daughter Sharalee MacArthur works as the County Victim's Advocate. She tries to help families of murder victims deal with the tragedy they must confront. This is a tough emotional job, but KC, the county's only homicide detective, makes it that much more difficult to perform. His heart is stone cold protected from the outside by demons from his past, but she fantasizes that one-day he will love her like she does him. As the clues surface, the killer adds to the top of the revised list Sharalee, which leaves Kevin Charles panicked that the love of his life could be next. FACADE is an exciting serial killer tale that provides grisly details of the murders through the eyes of the investigators. The suspense filled story line never misses a beat even with a romantic subplot. The hearts of the audience race at a rapid rate due to feeling the same fears of the residents (sort of like New York during Son of Sam terror) and ultimately that of the lead protagonists. Patricia A. Rasey writes a gritty police procedural that is as intense as the sub-genre can become, which in turn means a winner for fans.

The Wizard Hunters
Martha Wells
Eos
May 2003, $24.95, 400 pp., ISBN 0380977885

The off world Gardier use powerful magic to invade the land of Ile-Rien. The off-world military are winning on all fronts defeating the natives at sea, on the land, and in the air. Unless something is done quickly, the people of Ile-Rien will become enslaved. A magical artifact attached to Tremaine Valiarde transports her and two sorceress to the Isle of Storms. They meet the Syrneiese warrior Ilias and Giliead who have come to the island to see if an evil wizard has taken up residence there. The two groups team up when the Gardier, who have an outpost in a huge cave on the island, captures them. Working together, they escape and go to the homeland of Ilias and Giliead and then back to Ile-Rien to get an army together that will destroy the Gardier outpost and subsequently the means of traveling between the two worlds. Book one of the Fall of Ile-Rien is a fantastic opening installment in what looks to be a great fantasy epic. The heroine, a potential suicide victim, finds she has something to live for as she becomes a freedom fighter intent on saving two worlds from Gardier domination. Martha Wells is an excellent world builder, a writer who makes the audience believes that the Gardier and the two worlds they want to conquer actually exist.

Racing Moon
Cassie Edwards
Signet
May 2003, $6.99, 352 pp., ISBN: 0451208412

In 1857 Irish immigrants Maureen O'Rourke and her parents move to Louisiana where she sells her watercolors and they open a bakery. Her current commission is with wealthy Taylor Clairmont, who covets expanding his holdings by stealing nearby Indian land. The nasty Taylor does not care how he succeeds as long as he owns more. His men set on fire the Chitamacha Rosedown Worship House where an Indian boy Sun Arrow on a ritual was worshipping. When Taylor kisses Maureen, she flees in disgust. However, her flight for freedom ends abruptly when Sun Arrow's father Sharp Wing abducts her because he thinks Maureen is Taylor's wife and that he is the villain who killed his son. The tribe chief Racing Moon is attracted to the hostage, but refuses to act because he also believes she is a married woman. When Sun Arrow turns up alive, Maureen tells Racing Moon the truth, as she is attracted to the chief. They make love and agree to marry, but first he must deal with Taylor who burns down the replacement holy building. Cassie Edwards has the patent on Indian romances. Her latest action packed tale contains plenty of depth into the lifestyle of the tribe and stars a strong couple. However, all conflict is resolved too easily in favor of the good guys while the villain has no redeeming qualities. Still Ms. Edwards provides a delightful diversion for her fans.

Shop Till You Drop
Elaine Viets
Signet
May 2003, $5.99, 288 pp., ISBN 0451208552

After hearing the judge's ruling in a St. Louis Courtroom, Helen Hawthorne goes on the run, leaving a job that pays six figures annum and her family and friends behind. She ends up in Fort Lauderdale working in sales in the exclusive female clothes store Juliana's, earning minimum wage off the books. The clientele consists of trophy wives and men's mistresses who have nothing better to do than shop until they drop. After two weeks on the job, Helen comes to believe that her boss is skimming money, selling illegal drugs, arranging for illegal plastic surgery and hiring a hit man for a customer. Before Helen can decide what to do about what she thinks is going on, Christina takes off on a vacation and never comes back. Her body is found in a barrel floating in the ocean and Helen soon has proof that her former boss was blackmailing five customers and her ex-boyfriend. When Helen tries to solve the crime and collect the reward money, the killer decides to make Helen the second victim. The first Dead-End Jobs mystery is such a smashing success it will provide long-term job security for Elaine Viets. The tale contains wit, local color and a cast of secondary characters that is eccentric and funny. The heroine is a delightful mix of grit; determination and stubbornness, which is why she goes from one deadly encounter to another. She doesn't know the meaning of the word quit and she hounds all the suspects until one of them finally makes a move on her. Elaine Viets' SHOP TILL YOU DROP is electrifying.

Only by Your Touch
Catherine Anderson
Signet
Apr 2003, $6.99, 464 pp., ISBN: 0451207947

At thirty Chloe Evans feels old as she recovers from a nasty divorce although she tries to hide the ugliness from her preadolescent son Jeremy. To give the asthmatic Jeremy a fresh start, Chloe moves them to the resort town Jack Pine in Oregon where she takes a position as a police dispatcher. Jeremy's Golden Retriever puppy becomes very ill, but money is tight so a vet seems out of the question. Though dangerous rumors abound about local outcast former veterinarian Dr. Ben Longtree, a desperate Jeremy also learns of his magical healing touch. The child carries his beloved dog so that the pariah can treat him. Ben does not want any visitors especially since he illegally provides medical treatment to wild animals, but he cannot resist the lad or his dog. Chloe and Ben become acquainted and soon fall in love through the efforts of her matchmaking child. However, Deputy Bobby Lee Shuck has a new reason to harass and destroy the man he always hated as he wants to bed the newcomer anyway he can even though Chloe says no. ONLY BY YOUR TOUCH is an exciting rural contemporary romance that stars two charming lead protagonists whose emotional past and present demons are healed by each other. The secondary cast, especially her son, the law enforcement officials, and the animals provide different layers of depth. Shuck fails to have a redeeming quality as he even sinks low enough to threaten Jeremy to gain what he wants. Still, Catherine Anderson shows her deft touch with a delightful second chance at love tale.

Lily
Lauren Royal
Signet
Apr 2003, $6.99, 384 pp., ISBN: 0451208315

In 1673, after sixteen-year-old Lily Ashcroft meets aristocratic scholar Randal Nesbit she challenges the family motto of "Question Convention". Lily realizes she has found her life mate and wants a very conventional marriage to the decade older Randal. He is extremely attracted to Lily but he keeps reminding himself she is only sixteen. In fact he uses that rationalization for the next four years to keep his distance. However, Rand sees Lily during a Baptism of her twin nephew and niece and he knows he no longer can hide behind her under age status, nor does he want too. He simply desires marriage to his beloved Lily. However, she concludes that her sister Rose has set her sights on Rand and Lily decides to sacrifice her own happiness for her family. However, neither sibling understands that to Rand a Rose is not a Rose as his preference run towards a different flower. LILY, the second bloom in Lauren Royal's seventeenth century romantic bouquet (see VIOLET) is an enjoyable tale starring two nice people who (with Rose) make an interesting triangle. The story line is entertaining, but no character is deeply developed and the conflict is not that powerful. Still, readers will enjoy a warm historical romance starring charming protagonists who want no one hurt.

The Impostress
Lisa Jackson
Signet
Apr 2003, $6.99, 336 pp., ISBN: 0451208293

Late in the thirteenth century Kiera dress up like a stable boy before sneaking out her father's best stallion Obsidian. However, she runs into a problem and only the quick action of her sister Elyn keeps her from being raped and probably killed. Kiera vows she owes her life to her sibling and will do anything Elyn asks to pay the debt. A few years later Elyn demands Kiera keep her vow by replacing her at her wedding ceremony although she insists Kiera can avoid bedding the groom Baron Kelan of Penbrooke. Kiera refuses, but Elyn sneaks away to spend time with her beloved. Elyn uses a veil to hide behind and goes through the ceremony. She pretends illness to stay away from the celebration, but Kelan enters her bedroom and soon caresses her into making love with him. The next day Elyn fails to show up so Kiera leaves with Kelan for his estate. As they become acquainted they fall in love, but he knows she is hiding something from him. When he learns the truth, Kiera believes Kelan will angrily boot her out and cause trouble for her father. THE IMPOSTRESS is an entertaining historical romance that at first may seem inane, but works because readers feel Kiera's growing anxiety over the ploy. The story line is a comedy of errors as Kiera compounds the deception though she expects the worse to happen when she also falls in love with the victim of the ruse. Fans will relish this engaging medieval romance because the cast makes it work.

House of Shadows
Susan Bowden
Signet
Apr 2003, $6.99, 352 pp., ISBN: 0451208331

During a successful showing of her photographs depicting her home country of Canada, Wesley Marshall of Barbados Consulate offers artist Vivien Shaw a job. He wants her to come to his island home to collaborate with a renowned local writer, whose name he refuses to provide at this time, on a book about the island. Vivien says she does not do coffee table books and needs to know who is writing the captions before agreeing. Wesley persuades her to come to Barbados, expenses paid for, to make her final decision. In Barbados at a party thrown by Wesley and his wife, Vivien meets the writer David Moreton who dismisses her for being too white to write about Barbados. While being driven around by a l

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