MYSTERY

Whisper to the Blood

Dane Stabenow. Minotaur, $24.95. Grade: A

Some of the greatest mystery writers enrich us with their wonderful sense of place. Stabenow is one of them: Alaska's answer to Tony Hillerman, she brings us the sights and sounds that few visitors will ever know.

In her latest, a giant mine is planned in the Park, the 20-million-acre wilderness that private eye Kate Shugak calls home. Stabenow draws the dilemma of the situation - jobs versus wilderness - in all its shades of gray. Attacks on snowmobilers - whose vehicles supply the main form of transportation in the winter - and two murders have everyone on edge, and Stabenow, one of the greats, sends shivers down your spine that aren't due to the Alaskan winter.

Final word: If you haven't discovered Stabenow yet, start here - then go back to A Cold Day for Murder and enjoy the whole story.

-Jane Dickinson

HORROR

Calling Mr. Lonely Hearts

By Laura Benedict. Ballantine, $25. Grade: B

At the age of 13, Roxanne has the kind of charisma that makes her friends do anything to please her. Thus, despite misgivings, Alice and Del join her in a dark magic ritual that's supposed to attract exciting boyfriends. But the only new man in their lives is the handsome young priest who has just become a member of the parish staff. Even Father Romero is not immune to Roxanne's charms, and after he spends a night with her, the three girls unite to accuse him, thus destroying his life.

As it turns out, the girls' use of witchcraft also has attracted a demonic presence, a man named Varick, who, more than a decade later, promises the priest revenge in exchange for his soul. The three women and those they care about will suffer disproportionately, and Romero will learn a secret that might have changed everything.

Final word: Although frightening at times, Benedict's novel suffers from the lack of any central character to cheer for. It's hard to identify a protagonist when those on both sides are guilty.

-Mark Graham

THRILLERS

Lethal Legacy

By Linda Fairstein. Doubleday, $26. Grade: C

For many, the world, and thus the universe, revolves around New York City. Even after the collapse of the financial markets based there, it shouldn't be surprising that our attention is drawn to a new tale by one of Gotham's literary elites. Fairstein was long a prosecutor in New York's courts and for years has been churning out tales based on her experiences in those alleyways. The title of her latest is a testament to both the City's hubris and our infatuation with it.

Alex Cooper (a district attorney, and a woman) is not happy to be on a case involving an assault of the curator of the New York Public Library. When consequent events lead to murder, Alex finds that she is under pressures that only a city job could bring to bear.

Final word: After more than 10 books it's apparent that Fairstein has a happy audience. I am not among them. This book is formulaic and burdened by leaden dialogue.

-Peter Mergendahl

CHILDREN

Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea

By Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth; collages by Susan L. Roth. Dial Books for Young Readers Group, $16.99, ages 6-8. Grade: B+

Mortenson adapts his adult best-seller about a promise he keeps to villagers who save his life in the Himalayan mountains into an inspiring picture book that, though simply worded, is rich in visual detail.

After a failed climb up K2, nurse Mortenson stumbles into the village of Korphe in Pakistan, cold, hungry and sick. The villagers take him in; after recuperating, he notices the children don't have a school and must write their lessons with sticks on the ground. He vows to build them a school, but the obstacles are daunting, not the least a nearly impassable gorge.

Final word: Roth's collages add so much detail to Mortenson's amazing story that you're pulled right in, with the most stunning spread depicting the only way to carry people or goods to Korphe at that time, a single cable stretching from one ledge of the Himalayas to another.

Along with the book's release, Puffin will debut the chapter-book adaptation, Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Journey to Change the World . . . One Child at a Time, by Mortenson and David Oliver Reslin, adapted by Sarah Thompson.

-Jennifer Miller

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