Dear Great Book Guru,
I am so excited- the annual Summer Stroll is set for this weekend- to tour the porches and patios of Sea Cliff while feasting on delicious appetizers and drinks all on a lovely summer evening - perfection! Well, I know what I am doing this Saturday night- but what will I be reading on a lazy Sunday summer morning? Can you recommend something chillingly suspenseful but rich in characterization and plot? Summer Stroller

Dear Summer Stroller, I just finished reading a book which fits your criteria perfectly- SISTER by Rosemary Lupton. Set in present-day London, this first novel is written in the form of an extended letter from a 26 year-old woman to her sister. There are so many twists and turns that you are left literally breathless. As each piece of new information is revealed you are forced to reconsider your past assumptions. First, we discover that missing Tess is a twenty-one year-old art student; then we learn she is pregnant; finally, we learn she has already had the baby; also, she has been part of an experiment involving gene therapy to cure her unborn child of cystic fibrosis, but...there is much, much more. Possible suspects range from her art professor lover to a student stalker, to sinister scientists, physicians, and Big Pharma executives. Throughout, the story is told from the perspective of Bee, the older sister who is the conservative, uptight counterpart to her younger, more beautiful Bohemian sibling. While all the characters we meet are colorful, interestingly, one of the most vivid is London itself. The descriptions of its parks, neighborhoods, and institutions as we move from season to season make this novel all the more compelling. I could not turn the pages fast enough to unravel the mystery. A great summer read!

If you are interested in attending the Sea Cliff Civic Association's Summer Stroll this Saturday, July 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 (ticket is $25), act quickly. Email tinamarie122@optonline.net or stop by the Children's Library.