A Great Deliverance
by Elizabeth A. George
Published 1989 by Bantam Books

Mass Market Paperbound, English. ISBN: 9780553278026

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To this day, the low, thin wail of an infant can be heard in Keldale's lush green valleys. Three hundred years ago, as legend goes, the frightened Yorkshire villagers smothered a crying babe in Keldale Abbey, where they'd hidden to escape the ravages of Cromwell's raiders.

Now into Keldale's pastoral web of old houses and older secrets comes Scotland Yard Inspector Thomas Lynley, the eighth earl of Asherton. Along with the redoubtable Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, Lynley has been sent to solve a savage murder that has stunned the peaceful countryside. For fat, unlovely Roberta Teys has been found in her best dress, an axe in her lap, seated in the old stone barn beside her father's headless corpse. Her first and last words were "I did it. And I'm not sorry."

Yet as Lynley and Havers wind their way through Keldale's dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a shattering series of revelations that will reverberate through this tranquil English valley--and in their own lives as well.

Missing Joseph
by Elizabeth A. George
Published 1993 by Bantam Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780553092530

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 05/03/1993

The title of this layered, intricate mystery could refer to the husband and father rarely included in paintings of the Madonna and Child or to an infant victim of crib death 15 years before the grim winter of the story's setting. Both possibilities resonate as George's forensic analyst Simon St. James and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley of New Scotland Yard, both last seen in For the Sake of Elena , unravel a case that embraces issues of sexuality, procreation and familial love. In Lancashire, in gray, bone-chilling December, the vicar of Winslough is found poisoned by water hemlock, which was served--in an apparent accident--by an herbalist, a solitary woman whose sexually precocious daughter the vicar had been counseling. Simon and his wife Deborah, troubled by their failure to conceive a child, take a long week-end at Winslough in January and are drawn into village gossip about the death, which Simon doubts could have been unintended. Irregularities in the local police follow-up (the constable is sleeping with the herbalist) prompt him to call on Tommy to reopen the case. Probing relationships between lovers and between parents and children (notable here are those between the constable and his retired-copper father, between the vicar's housekeeper and her mom, both schooled in the local witch tradition), George sustains suspense as Tommy traces the vicar's death back through London to a long-ago suicide near Truro. A liberal dose of unhappiness widely applied and a tendency to talkiness are easily tolerable in this deftly plotted, highly atmospheric novel. Author tour. (July)

With No One as Witness
by Elizabeth A. George
Published 2005 by HarperCollins

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780060545604

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When an adolescent boy's nude body is found mutilated and artfully arranged on the top of the tomb, it takes no large leap for the police to recognize the work of a serial killer. The case goes to New Scotland Yard Acting Superintendent Thomas Lynley, who must pursue the killer despite a devastating tragedy within the department.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 02/21/2005

Acting Supt. Thomas Lynley and Det. Constable Barbara Havers face their most challenging and perilous case yet--the linked murders of four youths, three of black or mixed parentage--in bestseller George's absorbing 13th British police procedural (after 2003's A Place of Hiding ). Crime fans will find plenty of forensic minutiae and details of police bureaucracy and politics, but it's characterization at which George really excels. The up-and-down career of Havers is at low ebb following her demotion from sergeant to constable, and her rocky personal life doesn't make that easier to bear. Lynley's professional life has become more difficult due to the continued absence of Supt. Malcolm Webberly and the need to deal directly with Asst. Commissioner David Hillier. The tension builds as the brutal serial killings continue and the pressure to solve them mounts. George expertly uses every device in the book from red herrings to blind alleys, from subtle twists to swift shocks. This is an outstanding and explosive addition to a popular series. Agent, Robert Gottlieb. 9-city author tour. (Mar. 15)

Careless in Red
by Elizabeth A. George
Published 2008 by Harper

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780061160875

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In this eagerly anticipated novel, the "New York Times"-bestselling author brings back Scotland Yard's Thomas Lynley in a stunning mystery in which he's caught in the middle of a seemingly perfect crime.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 03/10/2008

At the start of bestseller George's stellar new suspense novel, the grieving Thomas Lynley, a Scotland Yard detective who left the force after the murder of his pregnant wife, Helen, in With No One as Witness (2005), is filling his days with a long trek in his native Cornwall.-During his ramble, Lynley stumbles on the body of teenager Santo Kerne, who apparently fell from a cliff onto some rocks, though it soon becomes evident that someone tampered with Kerne's climbing gear.-As the first on the scene, Lynley himself comes under suspicion, despite his lack of history with the victim, by the investigating officer, the capable but crusty Det. Insp. Bea Hannaford. Lynley fittingly plays a secondary role in the homicide inquiry as he continues to struggle to find a reason for living after his devastating loss.-The plausible resolution of the crime leaves enough ambiguity to satisfy readers who prefer psychologically sophisticated plots and motivations. 10-city author tour. (May)

Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos
by Donna Andrews
Published 2001 by St. Martin's Minotaur

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780312277291

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 09/17/2001

What a lighthearted gem of a juggling act! In Anthony and Agatha award-winner Andrews's third bird adventure (Murder with Peacocks; Murder with Puffins), ornamental blacksmith Meg, who's been commissioned to make a dozen life-size day-glow flamingos (three of which grace the alluring dust jacket), devoted sidekick Michael as well as their close, extended families take part in a lovingly depicted re-creation of the October 1781 siege of Yorktown, complete with cannons, costumes and a crafts fair. Enter the villain, Roger Benson, a businessman who has promised to market a game designed by Meg's brother. Everyone, including Meg, has some quarrel with Benson, who eventually comes to bloody blows with one of the other blacksmiths. Later that night, Meg discovers Benson's body in the storage area of her shop, an ornate dagger, her masterpiece, prominently displayed in his back. The sheriff, his deputy and any number of Meg's friends and relatives are suspects, but her dad is determined to present himself as the killer. Meanwhile, Michael's imperious mother, who's found with Meg's cash box after it goes missing at the time of the murder, strives to prevent anachronisms (eyeglasses, cameras, etc.) from spoiling the battle reenactment. With her trademark witty dialogue and fine sense of the ridiculous, Andrews keeps all her balls in the air with skill and verve. Agents, Ellen Geiger and Anna Abreu at Curtis Brown. Regional author tour. (Oct. 15)

The Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai
by Wang Anyi
Published 2008 by Columbia University Press

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780231143424

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The Song of Everlasting Sorrow's considered one of the crowning achievements of modern Chinese literature. First published in 1995, the novel won the Mao Dun Prize, China's top literary honor, and has been adapted for stage, television, and film. Set in post-World War II Shanghai, The Song of Everlasting Sorrow follows Wang Qiyao, a young girl infatuated with the glamour of 1940s Hollywood. After being discovered by an amateur photographer, Wang Qiyao competes in the Miss Shanghai beauty pageant of 1946 and wins second runner-up. This fleeting moment of stardom becomes the pinnacle of Wang Qiyao's life, and she spends the next forty years clinging to her experience with fame and decadence. As the decades pass, Wang Qiyao continues to live freely and indulgently, secretly playing mahjong during the anti-Rightist Movement and entertaining several lovers during the Cultural Revolution. In the 1980s she emerges as a relic of "old Shanghai"--a living incarnation of a new nostalgia--and finds herself embroiled in a tragedy reminiscent of the pulpy Hollywood noirs of her youth. From the violent persecution of communism to the liberalism and openness of the age of reform, Wang Anyi tells a sorrowful tale of old China versus new, of survival and perseverance in the face of adversity, and of our never-ending quest for transformation and beauty.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 01/21/2008

Enamored by Hollywood in prerevolutionary China, Wang Qiyao serendipitously poses for a photograph that is chosen for the cover of Shanghai Life magazine. Dubbed "A Proper Young Lady of Shanghai," she wins second runner-up in a 1946 beauty pageant and is soon mistress to a wealthy benefactor. After his death, marriage in her fallen state is out of the question, and Wang Qiyao embarks on a lonely, decades-long journey through Shanghai's myriad longtang, or "vast neighborhoods inside enclosed alleys." In a beautifully constructed cyclical narrative from Wang Anyi (Baotown), fashion serves as the lens through which Wang Qiyao analyzes her descent from fleeting fame to desperate anonymity. Charting her fortunes becomes a metaphor for a vanished way of Shanghai life in this ingenious tale: friends and lovers come and go, Maoist China undergoes immense social and political changes (none explicitly detailed), yet Wang Qiyao finds that "[t]here are only so many designs, and their rotation is what defines fashion. Only sometimes a cycle drags on too long." As the novel builds to its tragic conclusion, the manner in which character types and events recur against the city's shifting backdrop is impossible to forget. (Mar.)

London 1945: Life in the Debris of War
by Maureen Waller
Published 2005 by St. Martin's Press

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780312338039

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The Women Who Wrote the War
by Nancy Caldwell Sorel
Published 2000 by HarperCollins Publishers

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780060958398

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A Trip to the Beach: Living on Island Time in the Caribbean
by Melinda Blanchard
Published 2000 by Clarkson N Potter Publishers

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780609606940

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REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 09/04/2000

To those weary of the rat race, the prospect of moving to a tropical land and opening a bistro sounds like a dream: balmy weather, blue skies and not a care save for which number sunblock to wear. Melinda and Bob Blanchard couldn't pass up the chance to live out that dream, and their resulting adventure is recounted in this prosaic memoir, presented as a slim volume narrated by Melinda. These two Vermonters, burned out from their ownership of a specialty food company, impulsively decided to go out on a limb and move to the Caribbean island of Anguilla to open a restaurant. Upon their first foray into negotiations with the locals, they nearly scrapped the plan and returned home, but perseverance and their own acceptance of "island time" customs helped them to stick it out. The authors tell of the obstacles involved in launching a business in a place where goats crossing the road can be a town's major daily event. Chapters relate typical issues of negotiating rent, finding building supplies and locating such ingredients as free-range chicken and baby squash, always ending in a sigh as the restaurant staff wraps up yet another fabulous night at Blanchard's. Despite a moderately gripping third section that details a fierce hurricane, the action moves along at a languid pace; even with the inclusion of some savory recipes, this bland tale lacks an original and appealing hook. Author tour. (Oct.)

The Ruins
by Scott Smith
Published 2006 by Alfred A. Knopf

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781400043873

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From the author of "A Simple Plan" comes a new novel of unbearable suspense about four friends who slowly come to realize that one unfortunate decision made on their Mexican vacation is leading to an adventure gone horribly wrong.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 05/15/2006

At long last, Smith follows up his bestselling first novel,A Simple Plan (1993), the film of which received an Oscar nomination for best screenplay, with a stunning horror thriller. Four American friends on vacation in Cancún, Mexico-Jeff, Amy, Eric and Stacy-meet a German tourist, Mathias, who persuades them to join his hunt for his younger brother, Henrich, last seen headed off with a new girlfriend toward some ruins. The four soon regret their impulsive decision after they find themselves lost in the jungle and freaked out by signs that they're headed for danger. Smith builds suspense through the slow accretion of telling details, until a deadly menace starts taking its toll, leaving the survivors increasingly at each other's throats. While admirers of such classic genre writers as John Wyndham or Algernon Blackwood may find the horror less suggestive than they might wish, the eerie atmosphere and compelling plot should appeal to fans of ABC's hit TV seriesLost , who will help propel this page-turner up bestseller lists. Ben Stiller's production company has bought film rights.100,000 first printing. (July)

12/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Adult/High School -Two American couples just out of college head to Mexico for a sun- and tequila-filled vacation. They befriend some like-minded Greek tourists and a German man whose brother has followed an archaeologist to the site of her dig. The Americans and one of the Greeks decide to go into the jungle to help Matthias find his brother. Blissfully ignorant, they head off with minimal rations, but lots of tequila. Despite all warning signs, they continue to a desolate Mayan village whose residents seem intent on keeping them away. Once American Amy steps off the path into a patch of vines, things suddenly change. As inA Simple Plan (Knopf, 1993), Smith creates a gripping story in which each character's uncertainties and human frailties are as horrific as the actual horror around them. Though the story is told in the third person, each American spends time as a protagonist, giving readers an understanding of his or her fears and motivations. This also allows readers to second-guess the characters. The book has no chapter breaks, which echoes the long and dreadful adventure. Even though only a few days pass, it feels much longer, as the plot moves minute-by-minute through each day. The ending is highly satisfactory and perfectly tragic. Though there are some brief scenes of gore, most of the suspense is psychological, but no less frightening. Fans of everything fromJurassic Park toLost to Stephen King will love this book.-Jamie Watson, Harford County Public Library, MD

Kami and the Yaks
by Andrea Stenn Stryer
Published 2007 by Bay Otter Press

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780977896110

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Just before the start of a new trek, a Sherpa family discovers that their yaks are missing. Young Kami, anxious to help his brother and father maintain their livelihood, sets off by himself to find the wandering herd. A spunky deaf child who is unable to speak, Kami attempts to summon the yaks with his shrill whistle. Failing to rout them, he hustles up the steep mountainside to search the yaks' favorite grazing spots. On the way he encounters the rumblings of a fierce storm which quickly becomes more threatening. Surmounting his fear of being alone in the midst of treacherous lightning and hail, Kami uses his heightened sense of observation to finally locate the yaks. Reunited with their animals, the astonished family is once again able to transport their gear and guide the mountain climbers into the majestic terrain.

04/01/2007 REVIEW: School Library Journal

K-Gr 3- Readers will be transported to the rugged Himalayas with this story of a deaf Sherpa boy in Nepal, who braves a storm in search of his family's yaks. He finds the animals herded around a young calf whose leg is wedged between rocks. Unable to rescue the animal alone, Kami whistles for help. When no one comes, he slips and slides down the icy mountain to get his father and brother. He relates the problem through mime. Together the family rescues the calf, and the plucky hero proudly leads the way home. Although Kami's disability plays an important role in the story, the author focuses on his strength. Readers will find inspiration in his abilities, his resourcefulness, and his courage. Dark, yet vivid watercolors extend the text, as both awaken the senses to the sights, sounds, and feel of the icy cold mountains' austere beauty. This story opens the doors to new worlds and gives readers a character to admire.-Carolyn Janssen, Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, OH

Fancy Nancy
by Jane O'Connor
Published 2005 by HarperCollins Publishers

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780060542092

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The star of two #1 "New York Times" bestsellers is back in an all-new tale of frills, frou, and the fanciest of all things that flutter--butterflies. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 01/09/2006

With exuberance,élan and lots of heart, O'Connor (the Nina, Nina Ballerina books) and Glasser (A Is for Abigail ) prove that the bosom of the family has ample room for even the most outré individualist. Channeling the spirits of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn-whose pictures adorn her extravagantly decorated room-Nancy tries to make the world a more flamboyant place, starting with her decidedly down-to-earth family ("They never even ask for sprinkles," she notes as they exit an ice cream parlor). She offers her parents and little sister a free tutorial in all things fancy (yellow is plain, gold is fancy), which they gamely attend, and they even agree to go to a restaurant wearing Nancy-orchestrated frou-frou (Mom's ensemble includes Christmas ornament earrings and a feather boa). But when Nancy commits a faux pas of major proportions (she trips with a tray full of ice cream) she comes to realize that her family's love for her is as bottomless as her collection of hair accessories. O'Connor captures Nancy's dramatic precociousness without making her sound like a snoot ("My favorite color is fuchsia. That's a fancy way of saying purple"); she comes across as a genuinely creative spirit rather than an imperious fashionista. Glasser's pictures brim with comic detail and sparkle like a bauble from Tiffany. Like O'Connor, she empathizes with Nancy's over-the-top sensibility, yet gently grounds the heroine in the steady (if bemused) embrace of her family. Ages 4-7. (Jan.)

02/01/2006 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-K -Young Nancy, like her literary predecessors Eloise and Olivia, is a glamour queen dropped into a boring world-"Nobody in my family is fancy at all. They never even ask for sprinkles." She determines to rescue her relatives from their humdrum existence by giving them lessons and accessorizing their mundane wardrobes. A situation that is charming when observed by adults in real life doesn't translate into a successful picture book. Children pretending to be fabulous creatures is appealing when it is innocent and unforced. This book, despite Glasser's wonderfully energetic artwork, is ultimately a story told by adults for adults.-Kathleen Whalin, York Public Library, ME

In Patagonia
by Bruce Chatwin
Published 1988 by Penguin Books

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780140112917

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Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope
by Newell Cerak
Published 2008 by Howard Publishing Company

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781416567356

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Straight from the headlines comes the story of two students, one buried under the wrong name, one in a coma being cared for by the wrong family, and the heart wrenching discovery five weeks later that their identities had been mistakenly reversed. of b&w photos.

Moments of Truth: Robert R. Davila, the Story of a Deaf Leader
by Harry G. Lang
Published 2007 by Rit Press

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781933360300

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Leading Ladies
by Marlee Matlin
Published 2007 by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780689869877

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Deaf fourth-grader Megan Merrill ("Nobodys Perfect") returns, and wants to play Dorothy in her classs production of "The Wizard of Oz." Things become complicated when her best friend from camp, Lizzie, transfers to Megans class--and she wants to play Dorothy, too.

01/01/2008 REVIEW: School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-Megan Merrill, the engaging star of Deaf Child Crossing (2002) and Nobody's Perfect (2006, both S & S), has her heart set on playing the part of Dorothy in her class production of The Wizard of Oz. Megan's speech-reading skills help her to thrive in her hearing class, but when her friend Lizzie, who is deaf, transfers to her school, she is at once thrilled to have someone else to sign with and annoyed that Lizzie seems to want the same role in the play. Megan wins the role by bringing her dog, Solo, to the audition and showing off the tricks she has taught him using sign language. As in the first two books, everything hinges on the force of Megan's personality, which strains to hold up the thin plot. The main conflicts are resolved in a facile manner-as it turns out, Lizzie really didn't want to be Dorothy after all, and Solo, who escapes from Megan's yard, turns up just in time to bound onto the stage on opening night. Though the descriptions of Megan's school days will be of interest to readers unfamiliar with deafness, the behavior of her classroom interpreter, which repeatedly falls outside the boundaries of acceptable ethical behavior, is unfortunately presented as fun and friendly. Most jarring, however, is the fact that the story digresses several times into Megan's parents' points of view and consistently refers to them by their first names.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD