Dear Great Book Guru,   Last week I attended the Sea Cliff Civic Association's Newcomers'  Party . I had a great time meeting over forty fellow newcomers  and learning how we all found our way here to Sea Cliff.  As the evening went on, some of us started discussing favorite novels and one couple mentioned a book about a lost girl who reluctantly returns to her family after a four-year absence. It sounded like an interesting take on parenting, marriage, and the adolescent psyche. Does this  book sound familiar and, if so, would you recommend it?    Newcomer to Sea Cliff

Dear Newcomer,  Welcome to Sea Cliff and yes, you belong to a wonderfully enthusiastic group- the Newcomers' Class of 2012!  The book you are thinking of is a dark tale indeed but a worthwhile and compelling read: THE CEMETERY GIRL by David Bell.  Tom Stuart and his wife Abby have one child-  the mysterious, beautiful twelve-year old Caitlin who disappears one beautiful spring day with only the family dog Frosty as witness to her departure.  As the years go by, Abby turns to religion to offer her solace while Tom obsessively follows  every possible lead an attempt to make sense of this eerie mystery. The novel opens as Abby is planning a memorial for Caitlin despite Tom's angry refusal to admit she is truly gone .  The story that unfolds is a complicated tale of deceit, anger, false steps, and redemption ; yes, nothing is as it seems at first.  Be prepared to read straight through the almost 400 hundred pages- this is the proverbial page-turner!