"Sure Bets" are your personal repertoire of books you can suggest to a variety of patrons. They may not have been best sellers or really hot at any particular time, but they go out reliably, and are consistently enjoyed. These are titles new staff can use to stock the good books display until they can begin to develop their own ideas. When a reference interview isn’t working, you can suggest one of these, describe it, and it gives you something to talk about, and respond to. They often have "something extra," multiple types of appeal, and frequently appeal to both men and women.
Banis,V.J.
This Splendid Earth
St. Martin’s Press, 1978. 439 p.
It’s 1830 France and Anne has just wed the older Jean, Baron de Brussac in an
arranged marriage. Anne prefers the handsome guardsman, Emile, and knowing this, Jean
drags her from Paris (and Emile) to his wine country estate. As the years pass, the couple
learns to become vintners as well as lovers. When tragedy strikes, Anne and her son flee
to California with little money hoping the cuttings from their vines will renew their
future. Romance and danger flow through this saga and on to its two sequels, The Earth And
All It Holds and San Antone.
Binchy, Maeve
Light a Penny Candle
Viking Press, 1982. 542 p.
It is wartime in London; 10 year old Elizabeth is sent to her mother’s school
chum in Ireland. Eileen and Sean O’Connor have a 10 year old girl as well as three
other children. The two girls become closest friends even though their backgrounds and
upbringing are widely different. Their lives over the decades, their passion, marriage and
triumphs... evoke magically and piognantly the ever-wondrous process of human growth and
change. Ireland and London, from the forties to the sixties, are lived by the reader as
well as by the characters as they celebrate ordinary life. These are sharply drawn,
memorable characters one can care about. Absorbing, entertaining read.
Bushnell, O.A.
Molokai
World Publishing, 1963. 539 p.
The novel takes place on the island of Molokai in the late 1800’s. Beginning
in 1866, boatloads of leprosy patients were taken there, a place with no doctor, no
hospital, no hope. In 1873 Fr. Damien de Veuster volunteered to work with the people at
the leper settlement. From these events, O.A. Bushnell has fashioned a work of fiction
designed to bring this sad event in the history of Hawaii to life.
Historically correct, fast moving and emotionally involving, this is a good read
for everyone interested in history, drama, and a measure of suspense, all rolled into one
excellent and very readable novel.
Card, Orson Scott
Ender’s Game
Tom Doherty Associates, 1985. 357p.
Ender Wiggin enters Battle School at age six, the best hope the Earth has to stop
the Third Invasion if the buggers, an alien species that almost destroyed the Earth during
their last attack. Through simulated battles and video games, Ender and the other
carefully chosen child geniuses train to become the future commanders of Earth’s
armies. Will they graduate time? A thoughtful, exciting tale of a boy’s coming of age
in an adult world he doesn’t fully understand, but is prepared to endure.
Chamberlain, Diane
Secret Lives
HarperCollins, 1991. 406p
Eden Swift Riley, divorced actress, mother of a young daughter, returns home to her
archaeologist Uncle Kyle, to research the life of her mother, a children’s author and
archaeologist, who lived and died in a cave when Eden was a small child. When Kyle gives
her the first of her mother’s journals to help her understand the troubled woman,
Eden is drawn into the drama of a woman consumed by demons. The journal is one of a dozen
notebooks which covers her life from 13 To 31. From the first page of Kate’s diary,
Eden and the reader are gripped by her life- with a mother who forbids reading and is
considered crazy by the neighbors who whisper that she should be locked up, a father who
stands back while this is happening but sneaks books to her, and her brilliant brother
Kyle who helps her write her journal. Kate retreats to the sanctuary of her cave at the
age of thirteen, and this refuge is the object of Eden’s intense scrutiny in her
attempt to understand her mother. Ben Alexander has been hired by Kyle to help Eden in her
archaeological excavation of the cave. Ben is fresh from a year and a half in prison,
shunned by all of his friends except Kyle who has asked him to show Eden how to catalog
what she finds when she excavates her mother’s cave. The mystery of Ben’s
imprisonment holds the reader’s interest as much as the content of Kate’s
journals. This novel of secrets is a wonderful read which will lead the reader to
other novels by Diane Chamberlain, an award-winning novelist.
Childress, Mark
Crazy in Alabama
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1993. 383 p.
Peejoe, a successful screenwriter living in San Francisco, gets a call from his
Aunt Lucille who wants a part in the movie he’s writing. Her request launches Peejoe
into remembering the series of incredible events in both his and his aunt’s lives in
the summer of 1965 "when everybody went crazy in Alabama", and Peejoe was 12.
Peejoe and his brother were orphans being raised by their grandmother when, one day, Aunt
Lucille dropped over to announce that she’d murdered her husband (she
poisoned Chester with D-Con, then sawed off his head with an electric knife) and that she
was off to California to be the actress she’d always wanted to be. She intends to
take along with her in a Tupperware bowl the severed head of her husband; but she
doesn’t intend to take her six children with her. She’s leaving them with her
mother. As the law pursues her across the country (Lucille is reminiscent of a one-woman
Thelma and Louise), Peejoe and his brother back home are taken by their overburdened
grandmother to stay with an undertaker Uncle. Peejoe inadvertently gets involved in the
local civil rights movement which has erupted that summer and drawn national media
attention. As Lucille eludes capture and makes it to Hollywood, Peejoe ends up on the
cover of Life magazine. The adventures of Lucille are the outrageous side of this novel;
the trials and tribulations of young Poojoe are its poignant side. This is a novel of
social consciousness and coming of age filled with plenty of quirky Southern characters.
Cook,Thomas H.
Flesh and Blood
Putnam, 1989. 302 p.
Frank Clemons, ex-police officer turned P.I, is hired by a clothing designer to
find a relative of her brutally murdered elderly assistant, Hannah Karlsburg. Frank
discovers that very little is known about Hannah’s younger years but eventually puts
together the pieces of the life of the young sweatshop worker turned union leader, her
move to South America and her re-emergence in an elite company in NYC. Intrigued by
Hannah’s character, Frank does not stop when he has found a relative but continues on
to find her murderer and discovers a secret that could destroy his client. He is aided by
Farouk, a man of mystery who he meets at a bar he frequents. Some surprising twists and
turns in Frank’s investigation end up putting his life in danger. This
is a good mystery whose solution spans many years and two continents. Clemons’
meticulous collection of the details of Hannah’s past builds suspense and creates a
surprising ending.
Cookson, Catherine
A Grand Man
Morrow, 1954. 228 p.
Set in the tenement section along the Tyne River docks in England, this is the
first in the "Mary Ann" series, which chronicles the life of Mary Ann and her
family from the time she is 8 years old until she is married and has children of her own.
Here we meet Mary Ann, her father (a grand man) her mother and the rest of the family, as
well as the multitude of people who reside in the Tyneside area. In turn funny, touching,
sad, and above all optimistic, this is the story of a little girl who never gave up on her
hard-drinking father, who always knew that someday he would pull himself together, and
show everyone what a Grand Man he was. A good read for those who enjoy family life
without a dark side. If readers like the first one, they will ask for the series.
Cussler, Clive
Inca Gold
Simon and Schuster, 1994. 537 p.
Dirk Pitt and his buddy Al Giordino are caught up in a battle against an
international ancient-artifact smuggling ring when they are called in to rescue two
archaeologists in a sacrificial pool in the Andes. Guided by the inscription on an
aircraft, the smugglers are intent upon finding a huge treasure hidden by the Incas. But
Pitt discovers another artifact that leads to the treasure first. When Pitts’s
girlfriend, a Congresswoman, is abducted by the smugglers, more than the treasure is at
stake. Lots of action, suspense, plot twists and historical information on the on the
Incas create a page-turning adventure story spiced with good-humored ribbing between Pitt
and his buddy Al.
Davidson, Lionel
Kolimsky Heights
St. Martin's Press. 1994. 361 p.
Intricate plotting, strong characterization, elegant writing, and a detailed
setting intertwine in this satisfying novel of scientific espionage. A Soviet scientist
sends coded pleas for assistance to a British colleague and asks that former Rhodes
scholar Johnny Porter be sent to northern Siberia to bring out an extraordinary secret. As
the novel unfolds, layer by layer revealing Porter’s elaborate preparations for this
espionage coup, tension mounts util that final, inevitable chase across the frozen Bering
Strait.
DeMille, Nelson
The Charm School
Warner Books, 1988. 533 p.
What happened to Greg Fisher? He was traveling through Russia and just disappeared!
While looking for the missing tourist, Colonel Hollis, an Air Force officer, Lisa Rhodes,
an embassy liaison, and the chief of the CIA’s Moscow station discover a shocking KGB
secret- the Charm School. Situated outside of Moscow this school trains Russian agents to
dress, speak, and even think like Americans. When they graduate, they infiltrate every
facet of the U.S with the KGB calling the shots. With heart-stopping suspense, the three
Americans try to expose this horror before they are gunned down.
Dunning, John
The Bookman’s Wake
Scribner, 1995. 352 p.
Ex-cop Cliff Janeway now runs a bookstore for rare and used books in Denver. His
peaceful life is disturbed when an old friend finagles him into going after a young woman
who has jumped bail and fled to Seattle. When Juneway meets Elinor Rigby, a young and very
talented book scout, he is drawn to her love of old books and her fear of a
"darkman" who is stalking her. As he becomes involved in her life and with her
family, he becomes entangled in the mysterious deaths of the Grayson brothers who owned a
publishing company known for its limited editions, and especially for the last book Daryl
Grayson did of Poe’s The Raven. The five book collectors who may have owned that book
have all met violent deaths. Is the mysterious darkman killing people to find this rare
book? The twists and turns of the plot keep Janeway and the reader guessing right to the
last page. Any reader who loves books will be drawn into this mystery with its original
plot, interesting publishing arcana, and book information. Dunning makes bookbinding
spellbinding.
Edgerton, Clyde
Walking Across Egypt
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1987. 216 p.
Mattie Rigsbee is a 78-year-old widow living in Listre, North Carolina. She takes
Wesley Benfield, an illegitimate adolescent and juvenile delinquent, under her wing. Good
food can cure anything, so Mattie thinks. Her relationship with Wesley will change them
both. This novel is filled with humorous descriptions which may make the reader laugh out
loud. It is easy to read very entertaining, and has as message if one cares to find it.
Evanovich, Janet
One For the Money
Scribner, 1994. 280 p.
Stephanie Plum, an out of work discount lingerie buyer is out of money, with her
car being repossessed. Desperate for money, she becomes an apprehension agent for those
who jump bail. Cousin Vinnie, bail bondsman, gives her some easy ones, then she is
assigned to Joe Morelli, a cop accused of murder. Stephanie knows Joe from the old
neighborhood and figures to settle some old personal scores with him as well. Evanovich
has a wonderful eye for detail, a tangible sense of place, and hilariously funny
characters. This is a fast-paced, gritty mystery. It has a raunchy, gutsy dialogue that
leaves you waiting for her next book.
Fast, Howard
The Immigrants
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977. 389 p.
This is the first book in a captivating series of the Lavette family and the lives
they touch. Beginning in 1888 with the birth of Daniel Lavette on a ship from Italy to
America, the story of an immigrant family who endures hardships to grow into one of the
most powerful clans of 20th century America. After the San Francisco earthquake
kills his parents, Daniel takes his father’s fishing boat a shipping empire. Fast
draws the reader in with fascinating characters against a backdrop of actual historical
events. The next book in the series is The Second Generation.
Garber, Joseph R.
Vertical Run
Bantam Books, 1995. 307 p.
This his fast paced thriller is the story of 47-year-old executive Dave Elliot.
He’s a Vietnam veteran who on a typical morning, jogs to work through the streets of
Manhattan after kissing his wife goodbye. On the 45th floor of the fifty-story
ultramodern skyscraper where he works, he showers in his office suite, dresses for work,
and settles in with a cup of coffee to begin his day. But today is far from typical. Today
everyone Dave meets will try to kill him. Why does his friend, the company president,
enter Dave’s office with a gun in his hand? To his horror and confusion, Dave finds
that his coworkers, friends, and family members want him dead. He can’t imagine why.
Armed gunmen guard every exit of his building and a team of professional mercenaries are
searching floor by floor. The suspense and terror mount as Dave finds his skills as a
soldier coming back to him. He has to outwit and elude his pursuers and try to discover
why everyone is out to get him. Intrigue and non-stop action are the mark of this novel up
to its breathtaking conclusion and surprise ending.
Gutterson, David
Snow Falling On Cedars
Vintage Books, 1994. 480 p.
When Kabuo Miyamoto is accused of killing local fisherman Carl Heine, the residents
of San Piedro Island are forced to face their prejudices. The trial, set in 1954 in the
Puget sound- area, bring back the bitter memories and the past sins of when the Islanders
watched their Japanese neighbors being carted off to internment camps during World War 11.
Ismael Chambers, war Veteran and owner of the local newspaper, chronicles this seamless
blend of murder trial, love story, morality play, and regional history.
Hellenga, Robert R.
The Sixteen Pleasures
Soho, 1994. 327 p.
In this stylish, literature first novel, 29 year old book conservator Margot
Harrington travels to Florence int the wake of devastating floods and is assigned to help
salvage the book collection of a Carmelite convent that is also under siege from the
male-dominated Church hierarchy. While there, she discovers a way to help the convent stay
afloat, embarks upon several love affairs, and gains some insight into the choices which
lie open for her future. A "feminist" book without rancor, it is funny,
poignant, erotic, thought-prevoking and full of pleasurable surprises.
Hess, Joan
Malice in Maggody
St. Martin’s Press, 1987. 178 p.
First in series. Introduces Ariel (Arly) Hanks, the first woman sheriff in Maggody,
Arkansas, pop. 852. Arly has left New York City and a disastrous marriage to return to her
home- town and recuperate. However, small town politics and the constant (friendly)
snipping and interference of her mother’s best friend give her cause to wonder if she
has made a mistake and her mother’s best friend give her cause to wonder if she has
made a mistake. Then a missing EPA investigator, an escaped convict and the murder of the
convict’s wife make Arly’s "quiet" job a little riskier than she had
expected. Mixed with these important cases are the little matter of the bootlegger and the
constant wrangling of the town’s favorite love- birds. Could the whole town be
involved in the possible kidnapping of the EPA man? With the mayor and city probably
involved, Arly has reason to wonder if finding the missing man will cost her her new job.
This series of humorous mysteries is usually a hit with those who like their violence
offstage, their language relatively mild, and a little humor mixed in with the murder
investigation. It also offers a continuing supply of books for those who find they enjoy
the citizens of Maggody.
Hiaasen, Carl
Native Tongue
Knopf, 1991. 325 p.
Public relations consultant Hoe Winder finds himself in the sorry of spin doctor
for an environmental public relations gimmick gone wildly amok when he takes a job at a
theme park owned by a former mob snitch. This is an irreverent, bawdy romp through steamy
Southern Florida that takes equally wicked pot shots at theme parks, tourists, phone sex,
the Mob, greedy developers, activists of any sort and contemporary culture in general. Not
for the easily offended, but especially great fun to listen to as a recorded book on an
automobile trip from here to Florida.
Hoffman, Alice
Turtle Moon
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1992. 255 p.
After her divorce, Lucy Rosen and her incorrigible twelve- year old son, Keith,
move from Long Island to Verity, Florida. When Karen Wright is murdered, Keith runs away
with her baby daughter. After Julian Cash, Verity-born and fierce enough to paralyze bees
with fright joins the search for Keith and the baby, all their lives change. This sure bet
is a quick read: the story develops at a rapid pace. Hoffman is a quality author, who is
being assigned in high school and college classes, and she is an able storyteller. Turtle
Moon is part mystery, part suspense, and part romance.
Hunter, Stephen
Dirty White Boys
Random House, 1994. 436 p.|
This is the compelling story of three deadly convicts who escape from a maximum
security prison. These "dirty white boys" go on a relentless killing spree
through Oklahoma and North Texas until they encounter Sgt. Bud Pewtie of the Oklahoma
Highway Patrol. Sgt. Pewtie confronts the criminals time and again until a final bloody
face-off threatens to tear his personal life apart. Throughout the novel, Hunter cleverly
humanizes the convicts in small ways that also displays the horror of their actions. As
terrifying as In Cold Blood and as harrowing as The Fugitive, this book should especially
appeal to readers who enjoyed The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris and Along Came a
Spider by James Patterson.
Hurston, Zora Neale
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Library of America, 1937. 158 p.
For the first forty years of her life, Janie did what everyone told her to do. She
married Logan Killicks when her grandmother told her to. When Jodie Starks passed by, he
was going to the first town founded by Blacks. He intended to make a big man of himself
there. He told Janie to go along and she did. After she found herself widowed, she met Tea
Cake, the sweetest man on earth, a man who asked Janie what she wanted, a man who wanted
Janie to show her beauty, not hide it from everyone except himself. This is a modern
classic beyond the obvious authors and titles. The southern Black dialect may be difficult
for some readers.
Ishiguro, Kazuo
The Remains of the Day
Knopf, 1989. 245 p.
A poetically told, moving and thought –provoking story of mistaken loyalty,
self-sacrifice and loneliness, which was the winner of England’s Booker Prize in
1989. As he reaches retirement, Stevens, a very proper English butler, in service to the
selfish Lord Darlington, reflects on all that he has given up in his life, including a
chance at marriage and family, through his mistaken loyalty to his employer. This is a
good read for someone who appreciates excellence in writing as well as a good story. Not a
light read. But ultimately a fulfilling and satisfying one.
Johnson, Greg
Pagan Babies
Dutton, 1993. 312 p.
Clifford and Janice both on the fringe of their 3rd grade Catholic
school class, instantly become soulmates. Little did they know at that time, but they
would share a tender, and at times tumultuous lifelong relationship. Each rebelling
against religious and familial restraints, they venture off on their separate paths, only
to reconnect many times throughout the years. Finally, after many years, the two reach a
beautiful and compassionate understanding of each other and also of their bond. This book
ALWAYS disappears of the "Books too good to miss" cart and was one of the nicest
reads I’ve had in a long time. It will appeal to baby boomers who were born in the
sixties or slightly earlier, especially those raised Catholic. Also, those looking for
good contemporary fiction will more than likely enjoy this work.
Kingsolver, Barbara
Animal Dreams
HarperCollins Publishers, 1990. 342 p.
Set in the contemporary Southwest, Animal Dreams is a wonderful story of family
relationships, Native American issues, as well as the struggle many women face while
trying to balance familial, societal and career roles against those of a more personal
nature. Codi, the narrator, returns home to her village after abandoning a promising
career in medicine. She then assumes the role of caretaker for her stubborn father while
also rekindling a romance with a former lover. Feeling as though the world is moving on
without her, Codi eventually learns to value her current contributions while at the same
time reconciling her various emotional commitments. While Animal Dreams will appeal mainly
to women, anyone who enjoys a good literate fiction or those looking for a novel set in
southern will certainly thank you for recommending this remarkable piece of fiction!
Kingsolver, Barbara
Pigs In Heaven
HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. 343p.
The sequel to The Bean Trees and set three years later. Taylor, a twenty-something
year old woman from Kentucky, has adopted Turtle the Native American child who was
abandoned outside a roadside bar in Oklahoma. When Annawake Fourkiller,an attorney for the
Cherokee Nation, finds out about the adoption, she tries to reverse it on the grounds that
it violates the Indian Child Welfare Act. This is moving and heartfelt story that forces a
child to choose between a mother’s love and the Cherokee culture in which she was
born.
Ladew, Donald P.
Stradivarius
Carroll & Graf, 1995. 291 p.
An American soldier finds a Stradivarius in a farmhouse wall in Korea. Emotionally
destroyed by the war, he returns home to a small town in West Virginia with the violin but
virtually abandons society, except for his friendship with his young orphaned nephew
Ailey. Ailey has a gift for playing the violin and is eventually offered a scholarship to
study in New York City. But Ailey and the adults who care about him in West Virginia and
New York must bridge cultural, geographic and religious differences if he is to achieve
his rightful place in the music world. As a counterpoint to Ailey’s story is that of
the Stardivarius’ three-century journey from Italy to Korea. The story comes to a
climax when Ailey is given the Stradivarius but the rightful owners claim it is theirs.
This is gentle read of relationships, growing up, accepting differences between
people and cultures, facing difficult moral choices and the binding power of music.
Lofts, Norah
A Wayside Tavern
Doubleday & Co, 1980. 376 p.
In 384 A.D. it was known as the One Bull wineshop, serving Romans and Icene, and
facing invasion from Vikings. Here Paulus, Gilda and Sweyn Became the first of the
Gilderson family, a family that was to see the One Bull and the nearby church of St.
Cerdic through many changes over the decades to come. By 1348, the One Bull had grown to
become an Inn and the church had added an abbey. Although the two structures stood side by
side, a space between them was carefully preserved. In 1540, the abbey was dismantled. The
Inn was enlarged also fell on hard times in the early 1600s as the growth of the village
encouraged the building of competing Inns. Over the next 300 years the fortunes of the Inn
and its owners saw many ups and downs until the 1970s when the Inn seemed well on its way
to becoming a high-class restaurant. In this delightful historical novel, the One Bull Inn
is as much a character as its various owners. Norah Lofts has written many historical
novels, a number of which feature a building as one of the characters.
Macaulay, David
Motel of the Mysteries
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1979. 95 p.
The ancient kingdom Usa was destroyed and civilization buried following a
catastrophe in 1985. In 4022 amateur archaelogists Howard Carson and his assistant
discover the Motel of the Mysteries (aka Motel Toot "n" C’mon), complete
with a dazzling array of "treasures" ranging from The Great Altar (a television
set) to the Ceremonial Burial Cap (a shower cap). After reading this illustrated parody of
the excavation of the tomb of Tutankhamen, neither archaeology nor hotel rooms of the late
20th century will ever seem the same.
Mahfouz, Naguib
Palace Walk
Doubleday, 1990. 512 p.
Nobel Prize winner Mahfouz follows the struggle of a middle class Egyptian family
at the end of World War 1. Al-Sayyid Ahmad is a merchant who runs his family strictly by
the Koran, but he raoms Cairo’s entertainment district at night seeking his own
plesures. His wife and daughters are cloistered at home, while his sons live in fear of
their father. Yasin, the oldest son, lusts after the female servants. Fahmy becomes an
activist in the nationalist movement, while youngest son Kamal befriends British soldiers.
The girls bicker and dream of husbands while their submissive mother runs the house. When
wife Amina tries to venture outside for a walk, Ahmed throws her out of the house. As the
British proclaim the protectorate, all of the families’ lives are changed. The
everyday life of these people is richly portrayed in this first volume of a trilogy which
follows three generations of Ahmad’s family. This beautifully written and very
accessible novel reveals a society that was very different from Western society, but it is
the compelling characters and the vivid portrait of Egyptian society that will attract
readers to this sweeping family saga.
Martin, David
Back Bay
Crown Publishers, Inc. 1979. 437 p.
Revolving around the fate of a tea set created by Paul Revere for President
Washington, this story features adventure, intrigue, romance, history, and the lure of
lost treasure. The set disappeared in 1814, and evidence unearthed by scholars suggests
the prestigious Pratt family may have been responsible. Now, eight generations later,
members of the Pratt family race against time to recover the tea set before the old land
marks in Boston’s Back Bay fall prey to urban renewal.
Maupin, Armistead
Tales of the City
Harper and Row, 1978. 240 p.
Tales of the City is one of a humorous six-volume series chronicling life in
America during the late seventies and early eighties. Focusing on the eccentric residents
of 28 Barbary Lane in San Francisco, Tales of the City explores many of the moral and
social issues that were confronting Americans through humorous vignettes. Originally
written as daily newspaper columns, this book is a quick delightful read that will appeal
to most readers, especially women, gay male readers, and baby boomers who came of age
during that period. If your readers are like me, they will race through the first five
volumes only to come to the horrific realization that after reading the sixth and final
volume, there is no more! Withdrawal syndrome at its finest. Tales of the City is truly a
sure bet for most readers.
McBain, Ed
Downtown
William Morrow, 1989. 302 p.
While in New York City, orange grower Michael Barnes’ identification and money
are stolen by a phony cop and his rental car by the good Samaritan who is driving him to
the police station. From there his evening gets worse-a body is found with his ID nearby.
With his picture shown on the news as a murderer, Barnes along with beautiful limousine
driver Connie Kee, races around New York just ahead of the police, trying to make sense of
the fiasco his life has become.
McCammon, Robert
Boy’s Life
Pocket Books, 1991. 440p.
The year Cory Mackenson was eleven, things were changing in his small Alabama town.
His father lost his job at the local diary and witnessed what he believed to have been a
murder, but no one believed him. As Cory’s father struggled to make a living, Cory
was full of the excitement of his new, very special, bike, his new friends from the
African-American side of town, and his triumphant encounter with the town bully.
Ultimately, Mr.Mackenson’s worries and Cory’s adventures come together to reveal
an evil presence in their town. This is a novel, rich and interesting characters, strong
emotion, adventure, and suspense, with a hint of supernatural drifting around the edges.
It appeals to men and women of all ages.
Michener, James
The Source
Random House, 1965. 909 p.
This multigenerational saga begins in the cave dwellings of Makor, a watering place
known as the Source, and continues top modern Palestine, as Michener layers many periods
of history relating the story of a family of Ur, their gods and wars as well as their
loves.
Morgan, Marlo
Mutant Message Down Under
HarperCollins, 1994. 187 p.
When an American woman agrees to accept an award from a group of Australian
Aborgines, little does she know that she is about to embark on a three-month walkabout
with the tribe. She begins a journey which is spiritually enlightening, as well as
physically daunting. Within the tribal hierarchy, she finds that each member contributes
his or her talents, forming a group which meshes in perfect harmony –an example for
all mankind. The reader who wants inspirational fiction may find this the perfect novel.
Many of the qualities found in Native American literature are duplicated in Mutant Message
Down Under. This is a novel which many readers find has a message for humanity.
Mosley, Walter
Devil In a Blue Dress
Norton, 1996. 224 p.
In the Los Angeles of 1948, Ezekial " Easy" Rawlins is a young, tough
African American veteran who has just been fired from his factory job for talking back to
the foreman. Because he needs money to pay his mortgage, he reluctantly agrees to locate a
beautiful French woman named Dapne Manet for a white businessman. Daphne likes to frequent
the jazz clubs of Watts, and she likes taking other people’s money. As easy searches
for her and the money she took, he discovers murder, brutish white cops, racism, and black
"brothers" who are none too friendly when Easy asks about the mysteriously woman
in the blue dress. He soon finds himself uncovering murder, cover-up, and corruption of
government officials. The gritty atmosphere of segregated Los Angeles and the ugly face of
racism are realistically portrayed in this original hard-boiled mystery. Lovers of
the hard-boiled detective novel will be drawn into this unusual and well-written book. The
violence and plot twists will keep fans turning the pages, but the compelling characters
and the portrayal of a different side of L.A make this a refreshing and original spin on
the usual hard-boiled mystery that will fascinate all fans.
Neville, Katherine
A Calculated Risk
Ballantine Books, 1992. 403 p.
When Verity Banks’ boss nixes her proposal to beef up the bank’s computer
system security, she decides to prove its vulnerability by moving money from the wire
transfer system around inside the bank where it can’t be found. Her mentor, Dr.
Zoltan Zorr, discovers her scheme and offers a bet. She will steal form the wire transfer
system, and he will steal from the New York and American stock exchanges. Whoever can make
thirty million dollars from investing the stolen funds is the winner. But unsuspected by
Verity, someone else scheming at the bank could cause all their plans to come crashing
down.
Neville, Katherine
The Eight
Ballantine Books, 1988. 550 p.
An ancient formula of unimagined power of lies hidden in a fabulous, jeweled gold
and silver chess service. The service, a gift to the Emperor Charlemagne is hidden for
centuries at Montglane Abbey in France, and sought, in a vast secret game, by men and
women who desire its power. The Eight follows the parallel stories of Mireille de Remy, a
young novice at the Abbey as she seeks to guard the Service from those who would abuse its
power and of Catherine Velis, a modern young woman who suddenly finds she too must play
the game, or die. Mireille’s tale begins with the dawn of the French Revolution and
touches many of the great statesmen, mathematicians, and musicians of the century,
including Talleyrand, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Catherine the Great. Catherine Velis finds
herself drawn into the world of competitive chess and into wild adventure across deserts
and seas as she seeks the secret of the Montglane Service and control of the game. Filled
with historical detail, chess lore, suspense, action and mystery enough to please anyone,
The Eight is a big and immensely satisfying book.
Peters, Elizabeth
Crocodile on the Sandbank
Dodd, Mead, 1975. 273 p.
When Amelia Peabody’s father dies, the only appropriate status for a Victorian
lady is married. Even at the over-ripe age of 32, this is possible, if one possesses a
substantial enough fortune. But Amelia Peabody isn’t interested in being appropriate,
or in taking care of any more men. She wants to travel. In Rome, when her hired companion
becomes ill and must return to England she befriends young Evelyn Barton-Forbes who has
been abandoned, if not seduced, to the streets of Rome by a fortune-hunting cad. Traveling
on to Egypt, Amelia and Evelyn meet the rude and impossible archeologist Radcliffe Emerson
and his younger brother, Walter, travel up the Nile, explore a tomb—and find
themselves pursued by its inhabitant! Any romance reader knows that when a woman as
indomitable as Amelia meets a man as intractable as Emerson, sparks will fly. But humor,
more than romance, is the center of this book. Amelia tells her story in an extremely arch
and Victorian style, and Amelia herself is almost a caricature of the Indomitable English
(person) Abroad. Crocodile on the Sandbank has the additional advantage of being first in
a series. In audio-book format, this and other titles in the series, are excellent
material for family vacation listening.
Plain, Belva
Random Winds
Delacorte Press, 1980. 496 p.
Martin Farrell was born first day of the flood, the day his brother and two sisters
died when the wall of water outran them. They had been so well-loved by their parents who
had such high hopes for their future. Enoch, his father, was a country doctor, visiting
his patients in his horse and buggy. Sometimes Martin accompanied him on his visits, and
it was on one such visit that he met the two Meig girls: Jessie Meig, sweet-faced and
petite, with dark curly hair-and curvature of the spine; and her sister, Mary Fern, with
curls like those on a Greek statue, and extraordinary pure blue eyes-something dreaming in
her expression. This is a story of Jessie’s love for Martin, of Mary Fern’s love
for art and herself, of Martin’s love for Mary Fern and his medical profession.
Random Winds is an unforgettable story of choices, of love and loss over three generations
of a family. This is Belva Plain’s second novel.
Proulx, E. Annie
The Shipping News
Scribner, 1993. 337p.
A recently widowed newspaperman relocates to his ancestral Newfoundland with his
two young daughters and elderly aunt in this National Book Award/ Pultizer Prize-winning
novel. Quoyle must try to overcome his lack of social skills and come to terms with
building his life from the ground up while coping with an amazing assortment of oddball
characters who work and live in Killik- Claw. At times hilarious, at times
heart-wrenching, most serious readers will find the story of Quoyles growth from hapless
to happy a thoroughly satisfying read.
Savage, Tom
Precipice
Little, Brown, 1994. 290p.
The house is a named Cliffhanger, a bit of heaven perched high on a hill in a
Caribbean paradise. It is the home of the perfect family-Kay a lovely rich widow; Adam her
handsome second husband, and Lisa, her teenage daughter. To the outside world, they appear
to have it all until Diana arrives, a beautiful secretary-au pair. Suddenly everyone in
the house is on the edge of a place where nothing is as it seems and no one is what they
pretend to be. This gripping suspense novel is reminiscent of Mary Higgins Clark and the
early books of Sidney Sheldon.
Sheldon, Sidney
The Other Side of Midnight
William Morrow, 1973. 400 p.
A beautiful movie star, a naïve young woman and a handsome RAF pilot are caught in
a web of passion and revenge. Packed with memorable characters, this novel gives us
glamorous settings, an exotic atmosphere, a heart- stopping suspense-packed courtroom
scene, and an aura of credibility. The Other Side of Midnight is the hour when pendulum
moves from love to revenge, from passion to terror. Sheldon does know how to spin an
engrossing tale, one you won’t want to put down.
Stewart, Mary
The Gabriel Hounds
M.S. Mill Co., Inc, 1967. 320 p.
When Christabel (Christy) Mansel sets out on a tour of Syria and Damascus, her only
plans are to enjoy herself and do some sightseeing. Then in the street called Straight in
Damascus she runs into her cousin Charles and learns that their Great-aunt " H"
( Harriet) is still living in her crumbling palace, Dar Ibrahim, in the High Lebanon. As
she waits for Charles to arrive in Beruit, Christy decides to see a little of the
countryside. On the return trip, the road passes Dar Ibrahim and Christy gives in to her
curiosity and decides to try to see Aunt H. Little does she realize that this impulse will
place both hers and Charles’ lives in danger as they realize that things may not be
what they seem at the palace. Is the person Christy has seen really her great-aunt, and
what is the true relationship between "The Lady’s" retainers? As they fight
for their lives, Christy and Charles also realize that their feelings for each other have
changed and deepened. Perhaps their parents were right in assuming they would one day
marry –that is, if they survive. This book is satisfying to historical, suspense, and
romantic readers and, although not part of a series, Stewart has written numerous others
in a similar style.
Tevis, Walter
The Queen’s Gambit
Random House, 1983. 243 p.|
What if a young American girl had the talent to compete with the greatest chess
masters in the world? A shy and frightened 8 year old orphan, Beth Harmon survives on the
tranquilizers the orphanage uses to keep its students tractable. Then, she discovers the
janitor, in his room in the basement, puzzling over a strange game. Drawn to the game in a
way she doesn’t understand, she doggedly insists that he teach her… and her life
is changed forever. No knowledge of chess is needed to be drawn to the suspense of
compassion, the bliss of victory, and the power and joy of Beth’s obsession. Readers
who enjoy triumph over adversity will love Beth. Anyone who loved Rocky should love Beth.
But no one who reads The Queen’s Gambit will ever forget her. The unabridged
audio-book recording of this title is especially haunting.
Walker, Mildred
Winter Wheat
University of Nebraska Press, 1944. 306 p.
Ellen Webb lives in Montana on her parent’s farm. The farm, the small towns
her father, and her Russian immigrant, mother are all Ellen knows and loves until she
spends a year at the university in Minneapolis. There, Ellen meets a boy from a
sophisticated, urban family. Seen through his eyes, Ellen’s life begins to look rough
and barren. This is Ellen’s story of how she grew from seeing with the eyes of a
child to seeing with the eyes of a strong, mature woman. This novel appeals to adolescents
through to senior citizens in its depiction of a loving but troubled young woman
struggling to grow up.
Watson, Larry
Montana 1948
Milkweed Editions, 1993. 175 p.
David Hayden is twelve years old in the summer of 1948. He is the only son of a
small-town sheriff. His mother works as a secretary in the Register of Deeds office,
leaving David in the care of the young housekeeper, Mary Little Soldier, an Hienkpapa
Sioux woman. When Mary becomes very ill with a cold and fever, Uncle Frank, war hero and
the town doctor, is called against Mary’s wishes. From this incident unfolds a deeply
moving tale about abuse of power, coming of age in rural Montana, betrayal of trust, and
choice between family and justice. This beautifully written novel will continue to haunt
you for a long time. It is eminently readable.
Weldon, Fay
The President’s Child
Doubleday, 1982. 231 p.
A dashing senator is running on a platform of family values. Imagine the surprise
and horror of his aides when they discover that there is a six- year old boy living in
England who is the spitting image of the senator and who is the product of a brief affair.
How far will these aides go to win the election and cover up the "love
child".... threats?..kidnapping?….Murder? This short thriller starts slowly and
builds to goosebump tension.
Woods, Stuart
Imperfect Strangers
HarperCollins, 1995. 353 p.
Sandy Kingsolving is a wealthy, attractive man on his way from London back to his
home in New York. His father-in-law and boss has just had a massive stroke and his death
may lead to serious financial consequences for Sandy. At this vulnerable moment in his
life, he strikes up a conversation with Peter Martindale, a friendly stranger sitting next
to him. Peter proposes they murder each other’s wives. Sandy agrees, but soon changes
his mind. Sandy tries in vain to stop the plans, but Peter has no intention of letting him
leave his side of the bargain unfilled. An excellent takeoff on the book by Patricia
Highsmith and the classic Hitchcock film, Strangers on a Train.
Wouk, Herman
The Winds of War
Little, Brown, 1971. 885 p.
Thrown together in the vortex of World War 11 are the Henrys, an American naval
family, the Justrows including beautiful Natalie and her Jewish expatriate uncle, and
Alistair Tudsbury, A British correspondent, and his WAAF daughter, Pamela. Filled with
memorable characters and heart-stopping suspense, this novel begins in Hitler’s
Germany of the late 30's and winds up with Hiroshima in the sequel, War and Remembrance.
Wynd, Oswald
The Ginger Tree
Harper & Row, 1977. 294 p.
In 1903, 20 year old Mary MacKenzie sets sail for China from Scotland to marry a
British officer stationed in Peking. An unhappy marriage leads her to an adulterous affair
with a Japanese Count. Ostracized by her husband, Mary is separated from her children and
ultimately travels to Japan where she is not only learns to survive but is able to
establish herself as an independent business woman.
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