Something About Sophie

January 15, 2013
A romance and a mystery told in tandem. The story begins with a cryptic conversation between Arthur Cubeck, dying in the hospital, and a female visitor with whom he has long shared a guilty secret. He has contacted a young woman named Sophie with a request to come see him so he can tell her the secret the female visitor wishes him to keep. Clearly, his visitor wishes he would die before telling, and in fact, he does. Sophie, adopted as an infant by a woman who loved her and gave her a good life, is more concerned with mourning the death of her adoptive mother than in finding out about her birth mother. The invitation from Arthur to visit and find out about her origins is intriguing, but she is ambivalent, and when she finally makes up her mind to visit this stranger, she is too late. The trip is not wasted, however, as she finds herself attracted to the doctor who promises to look into whether Arthur left any written communication for her. He also returns her romantic interest. Arthur's lawyer asks Sophie to attend the reading of the will, and the fact that Arthur leaves her some property, along with the explanation that he owes her much, causes her and his son to wonder if he was her father. This is a clue worth following. Another clue is the stranger found dead with photos of Sophie in his possession. Soon, the small town is abuzz with speculation about Sophie, and eventually, she discovers the trauma of her conception and the reason Arthur, not a perpetrator but a witness, felt so guilty. The novel is similar in plot and structure to episodes of the television series Cold Case, whose fans will find its peregrinations most intriguing.

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March 1, 2013
Sophie Shepard's life drastically changes the day she gets a call bringing her to Clearfield, Virginia, where she is supposed to meet a dying stranger, Arthur Cubeck, who has knowledge of her past. Unfortunately, Sophie arrives too late, and Arthur has already passed away, leaving her clueless as to why an older man on his deathbed sent for her. Discovering the truth becomes more frightening as she stays with a newfound bubbly friend, Jesse, and Jesse'sson to figure it all out, while falling for the handsome Dr. Drew McCarren. To make matters worse, the rest of the town gets involved in this eerie journey; some start disappearing while others show up dead. Sophie shakes up this small town by not only bringing up her own dark past pertaining to her biological parents and Arthur's role in her life, but also by stirring up the residents' secrets as well. McComas (What Happened to Hannah, 2012) delivers a powerful story about life's challenges and how people come together even in the most troubling times.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)