One summer evening in 1972, a young boy was brutally murdered behind a suburban shopping mall. His death sent shock waves through the neighborhood; this crime was unprecedented. The murder and related events are retold by Marsha, a 10-year-old girl. She becomes a bit obsessed with the murder and imagines herself a private investigator, collecting "evidence" in a notebook. But at the same time, Marsha's own life has been turned upside-down by dysfunctional family relationships. The reader quickly realizes Marsha may not have a firm grasp of the situation.

In fact, over the course of the novel several "crimes" are committed: husband-wife betrayal, deceit between siblings, squabbles and mistrust between neighbors. Some are incidental; others have significant after-effects. Suddenly it becomes clear that solving the murder is not the point of this Orange Prize-winning novel. It starts out as a mystery, but ends with insights on a deeper crime: man's inhumanity to man. Recommended. ( )

The Eberhardts are like the other families in the Maryland suburb of Spring Hill until Larry has an affair with wife Lois' favorite sister, disrupting not only his nuclear family but also all the other sisters' lives. Then a 12-year-old boy in the neighborhood is found molested and murdered behind the nearby mall, shattering the community's sense of security. The adult Marsha, narrating the story 25 years later, recounts how that summer she tracked their new neighbor--a balding, middle-aged bachelor who didn't fit in--and, almost despite herself, fabricated a story and made an accusation. ( )

I've read better - but also a lot worse! A spy story from the perspective of a child. ( )

In 1972 when Marsha was ten her father ran away with her mother's sister, Watergate hit the headlines and a young boy from her neighbourhood was molested and murdered. Marsha keeps her own journal, a 'book of evidance' in which she lists the comings and goings of her neighbours. Marsha's evidence then proves catastrophic for those around her.

This is a fast paced and enjoyable book that captures the place and time in the eyes of a young girl perfectly. For a first novel this is very well accomplished and I look forward to reading more by Suzanne Berne. ( )

Harriet the Spy for adults; suburban DC life with divorced mom

9.99 ( )