Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 2, 1995 TAG: 9506300117
SECTION: BOOKS PAGE: F-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
By John Sandford. Putnam. $23.95.
"Mind Prey" is a mind game for those who can stay the course.
The whole premise is that psychiatrist Andi Manette can find which mental weakness she will exploit in the loony who has kidnapped her and her two daughters, thus saving their lives. The cops, meanwhile, are trying to decipher such clues of their own. It's as if everyone has to look at all the old Psychology I and II texts until finally the right answer is found. It takes a while, but if you've got the time and the patience, the wait may be worth it.
- ROBERT HILLDRUP
Night Magic.
By Tom Tryon. Simon & Schuster. $23.
Tom Tryon's novels deal with the arcane, the supernatural, the occult. None is more frightening than "Night Magic," which delves into another world, that of "real magic," from which there is no turning back.
Michael Hawke, a street performer of sleight of hand and an aspiring actor, becomes a modern day Sorcerer's Apprentice when he attaches himself to the Great Wurlitzer to learn their mutual craft. Even he is amazed by the cunning and the mystery of his mentor, as he is inexorably caught in the trap set by the older man. Losing sleep, weight, friends, his entire former way of life, Michael devotes himself and his talents to the knowledge of evil, to gaining power over others. The results of his efforts lead to a grisly conclusion as Wurlitzer cedes his place to his prodigy in his farewell presentation.
Despite Tryon's ability to create an atmosphere of doom and situations that scare us, I remained apart from "Night Magic." It didn't even cause bad dreams. Unfortunately, Tryon died while revising this book, so if you are a fan of his, you will want to read his last work. Otherwise, try Robertson Davies' "Deptford Trilogy" for bone-chilling magicianship that is unforgettable.
- LYNN ECKMAN
Let Me Call You Sweetheart.
By Mary Higgins Clark. Simon & Schuster. $24.
Mary Higgins Clark's best-selling mysteries have made her a household name, synonymous with successful suspense fiction. "Let Me Call You Sweetheart," her newest, is a surefire winner, too. I took it on an airplane trip and at least 10 women stopped me to ask if I liked it. The answer was yes.
True to formula, the novel involves an interesting and likeable woman who finds herself pivotal in a complicated and sinister situation that only she can save. In this case, it's a conspiratorial web of murderers, criminals and the usual collection of supposedly decent people who are not what they seem. Kerry McGrath, young single mother and New Jersey county prosecutor, risks her and her daughter's life to solve a murky mess of heinous crimes.
- JUDY KWELLER
The Juror.
By George Dawes Green. Warner. $21.95.
After "The Caveman's Valentine," George Dawes Green has issued this, his second book. It involves a single mother being selected as a juror (over her son's suggestion she not do it) in a major case of violence. She is stalked by "The Teacher," described in blurbs as worse than Hannibal Lector. Will she and her son be injured by "The Teacher," by the Guatemalans or whomever?
Green weaves in the philosophy of T'ui Cuch and Lao Tsu. Although the title would presume a trial, this book is not the story of a trial as much as a story of people, their emotions and actions and the love and concern of a mother for her child. It is not my idea of a great read, although Green is being touted as the next superstar author, if you can believe the hype. Maybe that is because most of the critics don't understand the book and are afraid to admit it. Thus, they pronounce it divine.
- JOSEPH WILLIAMS
The Nightingale Legacy.
By Catherine Coulter. Putnam's. $16.95.
Even though Caroline Derwent-Jones has mastered the art of looking at men "from beneath her lashes," she's more than simply young and beautiful. No, this resourceful 19-year-old must fend off the advances of her guardian, Mr. Ffalkes, who wants Caroline's fortune enough to force her into marriage or to "ruin" her. Young women in the early 1800s, especially those who were both virgins and heiresses, were expected meekly to faint away and surrender. Instead, Caroline ties up her attacker, takes his son, Owen Ffalkes, hostage and heads for her aunt's home in Cornwall.
Of course, before she travels too far, Caroline almost literally runs into the dark and brooding Frederic North Nightingale, Lord Chilton, who comes from a misogynist all-male stronghold in Cornwall, but who fast becomes Caroline's staunch ally not only in avoiding the odious Mr. Ffalkes but also in helping solve the sudden and mysterious death of Caroline's Aunt Eleanor. That love conquers all, including some very real threats to Caroline, comes as no surprise. Even the mostly predictable plot, however, fails to diminish the delightful Caroline. Readers who enjoy the genre (and the fairly steamy sexual encounters) will enjoy "The Nightingale Legacy."
- HARRIET LITTLE
Robert Hilldrup is a Richmond writer and former newspaperman.
Lynn Eckman recently retired from teaching at Roanoke College.
Judy Kweller is vice president of an advertising agency.
Joseph Williams works in the justice system.
Harriet Little teaches at James River High School.
by CNB