Hardbacks
In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon). The sixth installment of McCall’s well-written series about Precious Ramotswe and the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in Botswana is one of those books that will slow you down and help you appreciate a good cup of tea. This time around, Mma Ramotswe copes with a strange intruder in her house on Zebra Drive and complications at her husband’s garage — one of the apprentices runs away, leaving her husband, the estimable Mr. J.B.L. Matekoni, even more overworked. Her able assistant, Mma Matekoni, is quite concerned when the appearance of a mysterious stranger rattles Mma Ramotswe’s normally unshakable composure. McCall’s genial approach and precise writing style have taken his readers once again on a wonderful journey to a place The New York Times called “a world of kindness, gentility and creature comforts.” Brew up some tea, turn off the TV and enjoy! (Ann Wicker)
White Devil by Stephen Brumwell (DaCapo). A gripping and true tale that brings to light the real story of a famed early American hero. During the French and Indian War, French-allied tribes brutally massacred settlers at Fort William Henry — as depicted in Last of the Mohicans. In return, Major Robert Rogers and a band of “Rangers” headed for French occupied territory and attacked a village of Abenaki Indians, who were unconnected to the Fort Henry massacre — and slaughtered nearly everyone there. Roberts and his men’s trip back was horrific: some men were caught and tortured, and others turned to cannibalism to avoid starvation. Afterward, Rogers was hailed as a great hero, but even today the remnants of the Abenakis call Rogers “White Devil.” This is an eye-opening albeit savage account that pulls back the veil from one of our nation’s early myths. (John Grooms)
The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters (William Morrow). Peters, the author of several mystery series, starts the 17th Amelia Peabody Emerson entry with the dramatic appearance of a widow convinced her husband was the victim of a cursed Egyptian statuette. She seeks help from the Emersons — known as much for their crime-solving skills as their archeological discoveries. Those not familiar with this series set in Egypt in the early part of the last century may find the Emerson family relationships a bit confusing at first, but hang in there. As Peabody and her husband, eminent archeologist Radcliffe Emerson, become embroiled in the hunt for a tomb that might be the source of the small gold statue, they encounter more than evidence of a curse and tomb robberies. With just enough humor and no real gore, this is a fine historical mystery and a good summer read. (Ann Wicker)
Paperbacks
Prisoners of War by Steve Yarbrough (Vintage). During World War II in smalltown Mississippi, a group of German POWs are made to work on local farms (yes, this actually happened). Subplots rule here, including a soldier’s troubled return from the war only to be assigned guard duty over the POWs; a young black man who struggles with a powerful racist and the draft board; and the POWs’ plan to escape. An intelligent and insightful novel filled with well-rounded characters, Prisoners of War examines a very complex time in the region’s history through powerful personal stories and their intertwining effects on one another. (John Grooms)
Animal Crackers by Hannah Tinti (Delta). A small, beautiful debut collection of short stories that won critics’ minds and hearts last year. All 11 stories feature animals of one sort or another, but it’s their human caretakers (and sometimes non-caretakers) who reveal their complex relationships, both to animals and to each other. Our favorite was “Preservation,” in which a painter who is restoring murals in a natural history museum is consumed by her father’s imminent death and reminded of it by a stuffed bear come to life. Though fantastical, most of Tinti’s stories evince a fierce psychological realism that, oddly, blend well with her wilder ideas. (Dana Renaldi)
The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat (Vintage). The Haitian-born Danticat uses a series of narratives to tell the stories of various people whose lives were deeply affected by a young artist’s father. He, a Haitian immigrant whom she had always thought was a prison escapee, reveals to her that his role had actually been that of a prison guard with a nasty skill for torturing people. Set largely in America among the immigrant community, The Dew Breaker‘s prose sparkles and grabs for attention. (Dana Renaldi)
This article appears in Mar 30 – Apr 5, 2005.
