"DON'T TELL A SOUL"
By David Rosenfelt
(St. Martin's Minotaur, 306 pages, $24.95)
Tim Wallace can't catch a break. His wife dies in a boating accident, and police suspect he killed her. Still grieving months later, his friends drag him to their favorite watering hole to celebrate New Year's Eve. That's where a drunken stranger tells Wallace that he has killed a woman and where he's buried the body. When Wallace goes to the cops, he's once again put under a cloud of suspicion -- and in danger of being murdered. Unknown to him, he's being set up by rogue cops, bribing politicians and a power-hungry mastermind who wants to rule the world. Rosenfelt, known for his mystery series starring detective Andy Carpenter, has pulled together a cynical political thriller that rings true in this age of terrorism, media hype and Washington scandals. "Don't Tell a Soul" lacks the tension of a good page-turner, but with a solid plot and fairly interesting characters, it's an enjoyable tale nonetheless.
JACKIE CROSBY, BUSINESS REPORTER
Somewhere in Heaven
By Christopher Anderson
(Hyperion, 256 pages, $23.95)
Christopher Reeve's legacy as a quadriplegic Superman -- with his wife Dana Reeve unfailingly at his side -- is etched in public memory. The couple, who lived their trials and triumphs in the spotlight, stayed positive, so his death in 2004 at age 52 hit hard. Less than two years later, Dana's death of lung cancer seemed an insult, especially because she was a nonsmoker: We wanted a better ending not just for them, but for us. Christopher Anderson's post-mortem biography of the couple, "Somewhere in Heaven" (a play off Reeve's cult movie "Somewhere in Time") accurately recaptures the inspiration and loss. Readers are treated to inside tidbits throughout the book, such Robin Williams' appearance days after Reeve's catastrophic riding accident, disguised as a proctologist; and a poignant excerpt of Dana's love letter on their anniversary almost a year after the accident. In many ways Anderson's book is a literary representation of the Reeves: upbeat, rarely dwelling on the darker moments. And "Somewhere in Heaven's" ending evokes the void left by the Reeves: The tragedy is over; only the sorrow remains.
JEAN SHEA, COPY EDITOR
