The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin

A fair and mostly bipartisan critique of the Supreme Court during and after the Rehnquist years. Toobin manages to get into the inner workings of the court, and his descriptions of who really holds sway and why are fascinating. Sandra Day O’Connor and William Kennedy in turn hold the keys to the court, as their votes are the deciding ones in many if not all of the 5-4 decisions. The politics of the 2000 Bush vs. Gore case is worth reading alone. The justices and their interactions with each other are intimately described. A good look at both the personalities on the Court and the major cases of the last thirty-five years. - RC

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

This beautifully-paced novel tells a story of a dedication and faith, as well as the subtle nuances of the meaning of redemption. Photographer Abby takes Emma, her fiancé’s young daughter, for a walk on a foggy beach. In a tragic moment of inattention, the child vanishes, leaving Abby to manage her guilt and grief, her love for Emma’s father and especially for the child herself, her unswerving belief in Emma’s survival, and her almost obsessive determination to bring her home. The book moves quickly, and Abby is a sympathetic character who comes to peace with her past and her own needs, strengths and flaws as she copes with the events surrounding Emma’s disappearance. Other reviewers have compared Richmond’s work favorably with the family and relationship dramas of Jacquelyn Mitchard (The Deep End of the Ocean) and Jodi Picoult (My Sister’s Keeper; Vanishing Acts). - CB

The Year of Fog, by Michelle Richmond, is a mystery about the disappearance of a little girl that can’t fail to capture the heart of anyone who has cared for a child. The photographer, Abby Mason is exploring a densely foggy San Francisco beach with Emma, the six year-old daughter of her fiancé. She turns her head momentarily when she sees a dead seal pup out of the corner of her eye. When she turns back, Emma is gone. Did she get swept up in the unpredictable Pacific surf or was she snatched? This novel, told from Abby’s point of view, chronicles the following year: hers and her fiancé’s very different responses to the crisis, its effect on their relationship, the reaction of the outside world to such a tragedy and its effect on her very sanity. Abby’s relentless search takes her to another beach in South America, where the mystery begins to reveal itself. A moving exploration of love, forgiveness, truth and memory, it also demonstrates the role of chance in our lives. - JEP