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The Story of Forgetting is a remarkable look at our shadowy knowledge of the way Alzheimer’s washes over families. In an interview, Block said, “…our indistinguishable, undeniable genetic inheritance touches upon something essential about what it means to be a part of a family” a concept which he explores in The Story of Forgetting. Learn more about Stefan Block at www.stefanmerrillblock.com/. The world will be hearing more from this amazing author.

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BLACK HATS

Reviewed by Lynn Mann

By Patrick Culhane
Harper, 2007
ISBN # 978-0060892531

Black Hats starts off as a galloping good read. Culhane’s attention to detail and deep affection for Wyatt Earp jump off the page. Welcome to early Prohibition-era New York, where speakeasies operate with almost complete impunity and the Mob is beginning to appreciate the goldmine at their feet.

70 year old Earp (now a Western movie consultant and free-lance PI) has been asked by Kate Elder, Doc Holliday’s widow, to rescue her and Doc’s only son from Frankie Yale, a violent mobster. Frankie’s trusted lieutenant: young Al Capone.

Johnny Holliday is his father’s son: charming, a natty dresser and a successful gambler. Johnny won the largest stash of legitimate booze in the country, along with a nightclub, at a poker game. The plot revolves around the mob’s attempts to divest him of this treasure, and Earp’s efforts to keep him healthy.

Many of the references made me wonder: was I reading a Shrek-esque homage to the author’s favorite 30’s movies and movies about the 30’s? Most readers will easily identify the classic movie, set in the 30’s, from which the book’s end was lifted almost verbatim.

Culhane tends to let his sentences get away from him, using commas and parentheses where a period would suffice. However, he convincingly enters the minds of Earp, Yale and Capone. The dialogue is period, without belaboring the point. (However, I take exception to Capone saying that Holliday “disrespected” him. I believe that particular perversion of the English language belongs to the more recent past.)

The author occasionally found it necessary to truncate events for narrative flow however only the archest of purists would quibble.

A quick and easy read, perfect for the beach or an airplane ride.

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Lynn Mann has written two short novels as well as numerous essays and short stories. She lives in Maryland, and when not writing works full time, raises orchids, gardens and sails. Some of her work can be found on www.bewilderingstories.com .

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KYRA

By Carol Gilligan
Random House
ISBN # 978-1-4000-6175-4

What is the opposite of losing? If you answer “Finding,” you may have the same creative streak as Andreas, a conductor/director staging an innovative production of the opera Tosca. He redefines the concept of needs and wants, which is a turn on for Kyra, an architect designing a new city, which will expand the use of space. Though both are hiding from love, they are drawn together by author Carol Gilligan. She explores that need to redefine boundaries and perceptions in her memorable first novel, Kyra.

Though both characters are tied to painful pasts, those ties relax as they explore their love for one another. When Andreas abruptly decides that he can no longer see Kyra, despite the fact that he loves her, her most basic beliefs are called into question. She delves into boundaries with Greta, a remarkable psychotherapist, who winds up exploring boundary issues of her own.

This rich, intelligent story explores women’s need to “change the structures in which they are living.” Kyra is complex and thought provoking. It is also exceptionally well researched, treating the reader to an insider’s look at opera and architecture. Gilligan, who is best known for her 1982 book, In a Different Voice, writes with intelligence, depth, and an ear for poetry. Her metaphors are astounding and so is her compassion for human nature.

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DADDY’S GIRL

Lisa Scottoline
Harper Collins
ISBN # 978-0-06-083315-2

NOTE: Second book

Is there a difference between law and justice? Can there be true justice in a world without equality? Nat Greco asks her students these questions in her History of Justice class. Then she finds her classroom theories tested under real-world scrutiny in Lisa Scottoline’s Daddy’s Girl.

Professor Angus Holt talks Nat into teaching a class a local prison. During the class a violent riot breaks out and Nat rushes to the aid of a wounded guard whose last words are “Tell my wife it’s under the floor.” Under what floor and why, she wonders as her unrelenting search leads deeper into life-threatening territory. She is accused of murder and becomes a fugitive from justice on this roller coaster ride through a life far from her classroom. Her knowledge of the law can’t save her now, but her intelligence and courage can.

Daddy’s Girl is filled with memorable characters and offers a startling look at what happens when theories about law and justice become personal. New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Scottoline is a master of her craft who draws on her experiences in both the courtroom and the classroom for this thriller. You won’t want to miss Daddy’s Girl.

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MY LIAR

By Rachel Cline
Random House
ISBN # 978-1-4000-6227-0

Who is a true artist? What does the film industry do to personal lives? How do people deceive themselves? These questions and more are explored in Rachel Cline’s rich story, My Liar, which evolved out of her own brief experience as a writer for Knot’s Landing.

Annabeth Jensen is a thirty-three-year-old editor who wants to be a writer. Even more, she wants to work with confident and hip director Laura Katz. When Laura hires her to edit her second film, Trouble Doll, Annabeth goes the extra mile, even rewriting bits of dialogue when cutting won’t cover the script’s glitches. She’s a skilled editor but a needy woman who craves Laura’s approval. Laura starts as a good friend, but becomes insensitive and hurtful. Their relationship is a seesaw. Annabeth finds herself in an emotional maelstrom as uncomfortable truths about the people working in Hollywood emerge.

Cline does a remarkable job of exploring friendship, dependence, arrogance, and fear as Trouble Doll gets ready for its preview. Who is the true artist? The story gives an unexpected answer. My Liar is a beautifully written, thoroughly researched look at a business that eats up people and the motivations of those who work in the industry.

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NOW YOU SEE HIM

By Eli Gottlieb
William Morrow/ An Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers
ISBN # 978-0-06-138464-9

How does a man cope with the loss of a best friend? Overwhelmed by the fact that Rob Castor murdered his girl friend and returned to Monarch to take his own life, Nick Framingham begins digging for truths in Eli Gottlieb’s riveting novel, Now You See Him.

Rob Castor was a hot literary writer, whose career faded, but Nick knows there has to be more. His memories transport him to his childhood with Rob, to the games they played on summer evenings, to Rob’s sister, Belinda, and to the relationships between the two families. Reeling from the tragedy, Nick re-evaluates his own life, even jeopardizing his marriage as he peels away layers of secrets, hidden since childhood.

Now You See Him is a tense, unpredictable page-turner written in poetic prose. It deftly combines the long-buried tension of family secrets and the psychological exploration of the narrator who was “shocked by the extent of the pain (Rob’s death) brought with it.”

Poetic prose, mixed with high-stakes tension and psychological probing, make this book a winner. Gottlieb’s earlier novel, The Boy Who Went Away, is also highly recommended.

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