The Monitor's monthly guide to hardcover fiction bestsellers
From the March 7, 2002 edition
1. THE SUMMONS, by John Grisham, Doubleday, $27.95
Skip to next paragraph
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
After taking a two-book break from legal thrillers, Grisham cranks the formula back up. Grisham provides his usual greedy lawyers, as well as a protagonist looking for the truth while fearing for his life. This time, a crusty, small town, Mississippi judge dies, leaving a surprise for his law professor son: $3 million stacked neatly in the closet. Was it from gambling, bribes, or something worse? Grisham fans will race through this one quickly, but find the ending far less satisfying than his past works. (384 pp.) By Seth Stern
The Christian Science Monitor: Mixed review
The New York Times: Favorable review
Kirkus Review of Books: No review noted
Los Angeles Times: Favorable review
2. UP COUNTRY, by Nelson Demille, Warner, $26.95
Investigator Paul Brenner may have resigned his military commission at the end of DeMille's "The General's Daughter," and again in the John Travolta film based on the book, but now he's back in action. On an espionage mission to Vietnam, Brenner seems more consumed with war flashbacks and the company of an alluring expat than collecting evidence in the 30-year-old murder he's come back to solve. Fortunately - or unfortunately - for him, these interests don't turn out to be entirely unconnected. (720 pp.) By Mary Wiltenburg
The Christian Science Monitor: Mixed review
The New York Times: Mixed review
Kirkus Review of Books: Favorable review
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Unfavorable review
3. THE CORRECTIONS, by Jonathan Franzen, Farrar Strauss & Giroux, $26
Bristling with energy and erudition, this omnivorous comedy about a Midwestern family dealing with chronic dysfunctions radiates with dark insight. The Lamberts are a Norman Rockwell portrait in acidic hues. While the retired patriarch wrestles with Parkinson's disease, his wife throws herself into one last Christmas at home with their three adult children - each a facet of personal failure. A wonderful sendup of biotech hype, Wall Street hucksterism, and consumer anxiety. (576 pp.) (Full review Sept. 13) By Ron Charles
The Christian Science Monitor: Favorable review
The New York Times: Favorable review
Kirkus Review of Books: Favorable review
The Guardian: Favorable review
4. THE HUNTING SEASON, by Nevada Barr, Putnam, $24.95
Barr has brought back park ranger Anna Pigeon with masterfully balanced attention to detail and a fast-paced, grisly plot. The story follows a homicide investigation of a large male body displaying evidence of a sex crime. It doesn't take a university professor to know this will shake a tight-knit, conservative Southern community to its roots. Beware: This action-packed story, peppered with vivid imagery and remarkably believable characters, is also laced with graphic, violent detail. (320 pp.) By Steven Savides
The Christian Science Monitor: Mixed review
The New York Times: No review noted
Kirkus Review of Books: No review noted
Seattle Times: Favorable review
5. THE PASSION OF ARTEMISIA, by Susan Vreeland, Viking, $24.95
The subtle shading of "Girl in Hyacinth Blue," Vreeland's novel about a Vermeer painting, is replaced here by primary colors. Artemisia Gentileschi was a remarkably talented painter in Renaissance Italy. She was also the first woman elected to the Accademia dell'Arte, and to dare to portray large historical and religious subjects. Her life provides all the drama of an opera, and Vreeland sweeps from trauma to triumph in an entertaining narrative that's sometimes heavy on feminist cant. (320 pp.) (Full Review Jan. 17) By Ron Charles
The Christian Science Monitor: Mixed review
The New York Times: No review noted
Kirkus Review of Books: Mixed
Washington Post: Unfavorable review
