Origin

Starred review from April 9, 2007
Abu-Jaber, who dealt with Arab-American themes in her earlier novels, Crescent
and Arabian Jazz
, shows her versatility in this gripping contemporary thriller. A spike in the number of local SIDS deaths piques the interest of Lena Dawson, a fingerprint specialist at a Syracuse, N.Y., forensics lab. Is it a statistical fluke or is there a killer at work? Determined to account for the dead infants, Lena joins the investigation, which stirs tantalizing memories from her dimly recollected early childhood. Despite her fragile mental state, Lena proves capable of surprising resolve. Her relationship with her protective ex-husband, her budding romance with a detective and her quest for her own lost past add psychological depth. Abu-Jaber's lovely nuanced prose conveys the chill of an upstate New York winter as well as it does Lena's drab existence before she was drawn into the mystery of the crib deaths. This enthralling puzzle will appeal to both crime fans and readers of literary fiction. 9-city author tour.

May 1, 2007
When a series of seemingly innocent crib deaths come to the attention of fingerprint expert Lena Dawson, she somehow knows that these aren't the standard SIDS cases. The thought of a serial infant murderer is horrifying, yet Lena can't decide if she's just being oversensitive or if the evidence truly points to someone killing babies. Lena's own puzzling past may be influencing her interest in the case; she was adopted as a small child under mysterious circumstances, and the similarities between the babies' deaths and her own childhood begin to haunt her. Could they somehow be connected? Abu-Jaber ("Crescent") has created a literary mystery that weaves an intriguing psychological character study with a tense and compelling plot that results in a rewarding finish. Lena is a flawed but appealing protagonist; let's hope she surfaces in sequels. Recommended for public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 2/1/07.]Kellie Gillespie, City of Mesa Lib., AZ

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2007
Adult/High School -A baby is found dead in its crib. The police call it sudden infant death syndrome, but the distraught mother is convinced that it is murder. Lena, a fingerprint specialist known for solving a puzzling child-murder case a few years earlier, is drawn into the investigation. Her almost uncanny intuition-and the deaths of several more babies in short order-sends her searching for a killer. Lena has distanced herself from people, choosing to live in a sparse, cold apartment after separating from her philandering, controlling husband. In fact, life-threatening cold permeates this chilling tale, a metaphor for many elements of the eerie mystery, including Lena's childhood. She has strange, fractured memories of the time before she was three when she moved in with foster parents. As the investigation progresses, there is a sense of urgency to catch the killer as it becomes apparent that Lena's life is in danger, and that her mysterious childhood is somehow connected to the infant's. She is helped and protected by a young detective with his own past. As the weather thaws, Lena also begins to warm to the people around her as she learns the deep, dark secret of her origin. Teens fascinated byCSI will find this haunting mystery gripping, all the way to its surprising conclusion.Ellen Bell, Amador Valley High School, Pleasanton, CA

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.